Epidemic cutaneous sporotrichosis

Abstract

Background: Sporotrichosis is a subcutaneous fungal infection. Lymphocutaneous and fixed sporotrichosis are the most common forms; cases of disseminated sporotrichosis are rare. There have been isolated reports and some epidemic familial outbreaks of the infection.

Methods: We studied four members of two families who contracted sporotrichosis after sleeping in an old and rust-stained camping tent.

Results: All cases presented with polymorphic lesions, three of them with multiple sites of inoculation. The camping tent was shown to be the source of infection.

Conclusions: We report an epidemic of sporotrichosis in a family. In three cases disseminated cutaneous sporotrichosis occurred in nonimmunodeficient patients. The isolate of Sporothrix schenckii from a camping tent is extremely rare.