Infectious Disease

Officials identify a cluster of feline sporotrichosis, transmission to a vet tech

Evan Vega April 10, 2024

0 65 3 minutes read

April 10, 2024

2 min read

Add topic to email alerts

Receive an email when new articles are posted on

Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on .

”
data-action=”subscribe”>
Subscribe

We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact [email protected].

Back to Healio

Key takeaways:

A cluster of feline sporotrichosis cases were reported at a veterinary clinic in Kansas.
A veterinary technician was also infected after one of the claws on an infected paw punctured her glove.

Health officials identified a cluster of cases of feline sporotrichosis, as well as zoonotic transmission between one of the infected cats and a veterinary technician at a clinic in Kansas, according to a study.

“Sporotrichosis is an implantation mycosis caused by fungi in the genus Sporothrix that affects humans and other mammals,” Ian Hennessee, PhD, MPH, an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer with the CDC’s Mycotic Diseases Branch, and colleagues wrote.

Cat_hissing

After health officials identified a cluster of feline sporotrichosis and transmission to a human, experts are calling for increased awareness of the infection. Image: Adobe Stock.

“Although cat-transmitted sporotrichosis is an increasing concern in Latin America due to the highly transmissible species Sporothrix brasiliensis, S. brasiliensis has not been detected in the United States, and cat-transmitted Sporothrix schenckii is rarely reported,” they wrote.

Recently, however, health officials received reports of a feline sporotrichosis cluster that led to zoonotic transmission between one of the cats and veterinary technician at a Kansas veterinary clinic.

In August 2022, a pregnant, 2-year-old, indoor-outdoor cat was brought to the veterinary clinic in northwest Kansas with an ulcerated lesion on one of her paws, which was assumed to be from a cat fight. According to the report, the cat was initially treated with amoxicillin-clavulanic acid. However, the wound worsened, and additional ulcerated lesions developed.

The veterinarian performed an impression smear, which revealed cytology consistent with Sporothrix and the cat was treated with itraconazole and meloxicam in addition to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid.

Although the cat initially improved and gave birth to two healthy kittens in September 2022, the lesions reappeared after a month. Despite adjusting treatment to include terbinafine, the cat continued to worsen, and she was euthanized.

During the cat’s treatment, in November 2022, the claw on her infected paw punctured the glove of a veterinary technician at the clinic. The technician developed sporotrichoid lymphadenopathy up her arm. She began a treatment of cephalexin and then switched to oral itraconazole twice daily and doxycycline.

According to the report, cultures were positive for Sporothrix species, and an isolate was sent to the CDC for identification. It was identified as S. schenckii. The technician completed 8 months of oral itraconazole and recovered.

Months later, in February 2023, the owners of the first cat brought in a second indoor-outdoor cat from the same property with similar lesions. Testing was positive for Sporothrix and the cat immediately began a 4-month regimen of itraconazole, which led to the lesions healing.

No further details were included in the report on the status of the second cat.

“This cluster raised concerns that the etiologic agent could be S. brasiliensis. S. brasiliensis is increasingly reported in Latin America, and three cases were recently reported in the United Kingdom, highlighting the potential for international spread,” the authors wrote.

However, they added, the etiologic agent in this report was S. schenckii, which is typically acquired through traumatic contact with plant matter.

Recently, Tom M. Chiller, MD, MPHTM, chief of the CDC’s Mycotic Diseases Branch, mentioned Sporothrix brasiliensis as a potential threat after reports of cases spreading across Brazil and other areas of South America.

“A cat can shake its head and the spores can fly and land on your skin and you can become infected. That’s unheard of for these types of fungi,” Chiller said. “It’s a bit freaky that this organism has the ability now to be infectious in this other form. That concerns me.”

To reduce zoonotic transmission risk, Hennessee and other experts recommend that veterinary professionals should wear examination gloves when handling cats with suspected sporotrichosis and take precautions to avoid scratches or bites. Additionally, wounds from scratches or bites should be washed promptly with soap and water.

“Persons who have close contact with a cat with sporotrichosis should seek health care promptly if they develop lesions or sporotrichoid lymphadenopathy,” they concluded.

Published by: