Home » Health » What is the fungus that causes skin disease in humans and cats? And why did infections increase?

What is the fungus that causes skin disease in humans and cats? And why did infections increase?

  • Andre Bernat
  • Brazilian Section, BBC

image copyright Getty Images

photo comment,

Fungi of the family Sporothrix are found in soil, grow on some plants, and help in the process of decomposing organic matter in nature.

Until the mid-1990s, the fungus, Sporothrix brasiliensis, was little known. But it has since become a public health problem in Latin America because it causes deep skin wounds in cats and humans.

The first cases of infection with this pathogenic fungus began to attract attention in Rio de Janeiro, where researchers noted that transmission to humans came mainly from stray cats.

Soon, the infection spread to other Brazilian states. A study published last September stated that a public hospital in Sao Paulo had received an increasing number of cases over a 15-year period.

“We used to see one or two cases a year. Now, we see two or three cases a week,” said Dr. John Verender Vessey, one of the researchers who conducted the study, in statements to Medscape, a specialist in medical news on the Internet.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.