Clinical and epidemiological aspects of feline sporotrichosis caused by Sporothrix brasiliensis and in vitro antifungal susceptibility

Author(s):Show less -

Maschio-Lima, Taiza ^[1] ; Ribeiro Marques, Mariela Domiciano ^[2] ; Lemes, Thiago Henrique ^[1] ; Brizzotti-Mazuchi, Natalia Seron ^[2] ; Caetano, Maicon Henrique ^[1] ; de Almeida, Bianca Gottardo ^[1] ; Bianco, Leticia Monteiro ^[1] ; Monteiro, Ruan Campos ^[3] ; Rodrigues, Anderson Messias ^[3] ; de Camargo, Zoilo Pires ^[3] ; Siqueira, Joao Paulo Zen ^[2] ; Gottardo de Almeida, Margarete Teresa ^[2]

Affiliation

^[1] Sao Paulo State Univ UNESP, Inst Biosci Humanities & Exact Sci, Sao Jose Do Rio Preto - Brazil

^[2] Sch Med FAMERP, Dept Dermatol Infect & Parasit Dis, Sao Jose Do Rio Preto, Sao Jose Do Rio - Brazil

^[3] Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Lab Emerging Fungal Pathogens, Dept Microbiol Immunol & Parasitol, Paulista Sch Med, Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: VETERINARY RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS; v. 45, n. 4, p. 171-179, DEC 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Sporotrichosis is a subcutaneous mycosis resulting from the traumatic implantation of pathogenic Sporothrix species. In Brazil, zoonotic transmission plays an important role in the epidemiology of the disease, involving especially cats. The objective of this study was to isolate Sporothrix spp. from cats with signs of sporotrichosis, determining the causative species, clinical and epidemiological aspects, and the in vitro susceptibility profile of the isolates against antifungal drugs. From September 2017 to February 2019, 245 samples of lesions were collected from symptomatic cats in Sao Jose do Rio Preto, Brazil. Identification of the isolates was performed by morphophysiological parameters and species-specific polymerase chain reaction. The susceptibility profile of the isolates was determined for five drugs (amphotericin B, itraconazole, ketoconazole, potassium iodide and terbinafine), using the broth microdilution method. Clinical and epidemiological aspects were analyzed based on data contained on investigation forms filled by the veterinarians at moment of collection. Sporothrix spp. were isolated in 189 (77.2%) of the samples. Phenotypic and molecular analyses revealed S. brasiliensis as the only causative agent. In vitro susceptibility testing showed lower MIC values for terbinafine (MIC = 0.03-2 mu g/ml), ketoconazole (MIC = 0.03-2 mu g/ml), and itraconazole (MIC = 0.03-4 mu g/ml). Most of the animals were male (73.5%), adults (96.3%), stray (53.5%), and uncastrated (69.8%). Our results show the expansion of the S. brasiliensis epidemic to an area nearly 840 km apart from the epicenter of the long-lasting outbreak of cat-transmitted sporotrichosis in Rio de Janeiro. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 17/27265-5 - Molecular epidemiology and genomic perspectives on the evolution and spread of emerging fungal pathogens
• Grantee: Anderson Messias Rodrigues
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants