Sporotrichosis in the region of Botucatu, SP: retrospective study and molecular identification of the etiological agent

• Grant number: 19/03489-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Effective date (Start): June 01, 2019
• Effective date (End): October 31, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Preventive Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Sandra de Moraes Gimenes Bosco
• Grantee: Alana Lucena Oliveira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Sporotrichosis is a fungal infection that mainly affects the subcutaneous tissue and its incidence has been increasing drastically in Brazil for about 20 years. The disease is caused by species of the pathogenic clade of the genus Sporothrix (Sporothrix schenckii sensu stricto, Sporothrix brasiliensis, Sporothrix globosa and Sporothrix luriei) that present different profiles of geographic distribution, virulence and antifungal resistance. In Brazil, an increase has been observed in cases of sporotrichosis caused by S. brasiliensis species involving domestic cats with zoonotic transmission to humans. Early diagnosis of the disease, together with surveillance measures, health education campaigns and appropriate treatment are ways to contain the spread of the disease, aiming the elimination of outbreaks. Thus, molecular detection methods are considered practical and fast, and have good sensitivity and specificity to fulfill these needs. The present project aims to determine the etiology of sporotrichosis cases in paraffin waxed material from 1977 to 2018 in the animals treated at the Veterinary Hospital of FMVZ, as well as the human services at Botucatu Medical School, UNESP/Botucatu, besides to design primers for the standardization of molecular identification based on the inteins region and to establish the phylogenetic relationships based on inteins. This technique will allow the identification independent of gene sequencing. In order to do so, a survey was performed, with a total of 27 cases of animal sporotrichosis, 25 in felines and two in dogs, in addition to 20 cases in humans. The material will be evaluated by DNA extraction and subsequent PCR using primers specific for the identification of Sporothrix, sp. based on the ribosomal DNA region and also on the VMA and PRP8 inteins region. The amplicons obtained in the PCR reaction will be sequenced (to verify the molecular identity of Sporothrix spp.) And will be used to establish phylogenetic relationships and to design a fast and accurate molecular identification method without sequencing. (AU)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

OLIVEIRA, Alana Lucena. Evolution of species of the genus sporothrix based on the sequences of vma and prp8 inteins. 2020. Master's Dissertation - Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia. Botucatu Botucatu.