SHORT COMMUNICATION Sporotrichosis: an Emergent Zoonosis in Rio de Janeiro

scratch by a sick cat. During the subsequent period from July 1998 to July 2000, 66 human, 117 cats and 7 dogs with sporotrichosis were diagnosed at the CPqHEC. Fifty-two humans (78.8%) reported contact with cats with sporotrichosis, and 31 (47%) of them reporting a history of a scratch or bite. This epi-demic, unprecedented in the literature, involving cats, dogs and human beings may have started insidi-ously before 1998. Key words: Sporothrix schenckii- sporotrichosis- emergent zoonosis- Rio de Janeiro- Brazil Sporotrichosis is a mycosis caused by the di-morphic fungus Sporothrix schenckii, which can infect many different animal species, including man. The most frequent clinical presentation of the disease in humans and animals is the cutaneous form with or without regional lymphatic involve-ment. Following traumatic implantation in the skin this organism can cause cutaneous or subcutane-ous infection which commonly shows lymphati