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Volume 25, Number 9—September 2019
Etymologia

Etymologia: Sporothrix schenckii

Author affiliations: Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

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Sporothrix [spor′o-thriks] schenckii

Figure

Thumbnail of Petri dish culture of a colony of the fungus Sporothrix schenckii strain M-36-53. This fungus is the cause of sporotrichosis. Centers for Disease Control and Production, Dr. Lucille K. Georg, 1964.

Figure. Petri dish culture of a colony of the fungus Sporothrix schenckii strain M-36-53. This fungus is the cause of sporotrichosis. Centers for Disease Control and Production, Dr. Lucille K. Georg, 1964.

From the Greek sporotrich and later from the Latin spor- (spore) + thrix (hair), Sporothrix schenckii was named as a tribute to Benjamin Schenck, a medical student at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, who first isolated the fungus from a patient who had lesions on the right hand and arm in 1896 (Figure). This fungus was erroneously assigned to the genus Sporotrichum until 1962, when it was reclassified as Sporothrix.

S. schenckii is a saprophyte and pathogenic fungus that is responsible for sporotrichosis that is endemic mostly to tropical and subtropical regions. Sporotrichosis (also known as “rose gardener’s disease”) was related primarily to agricultural workers who had cuts or abrasions in the skin, and later to scratches and bites from companion and wild animals. Currently, it is recognized that S. schenckii is a species complex that includes S. brasiliensis, S. globosa, S. mexicana, S. luriei, and S. schenckii sensu stricto.

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References

  1. Barros  MB, de Almeida Paes  R, Schubach  AO. Sporothrix schenckii and Sporotrichosis. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2011;24:63354. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  2. Gold  JA, Derado  G, Mody  RK, Benedict  K. Sporotrichosis-Associated Hospitalizations, United States, 2000-2013. Emerg Infect Dis. 2016;22:181720. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  3. Marimon  R, Cano  J, Gené  J, Sutton  DA, Kawasaki  M, Guarro  J. Sporothrix brasiliensis, S. globosa, and S. mexicana, three new Sporothrix species of clinical interest. J Clin Microbiol. 2007;45:3198206. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
  4. Schenck  BR. On refractory subcutaneous abscess caused by a fungus possibly related to the Sporotricha. Bull Johns Hopkins Hosp. 1898;9:28690.
  5. Schubach  A, Schubach  TM, Barros  MB, Wanke  B. Cat-transmitted sporotrichosis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Emerg Infect Dis. 2005;11:19524. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar

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Cite This Article

DOI: 10.3201/eid2509.et2509

Original Publication Date: July 30, 2019

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Fábio P. Sellera, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-270, Brazil

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Page created: August 20, 2019
Page updated: August 20, 2019
Page reviewed: August 20, 2019
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
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