Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) was used to analyze the genetic diversity of Peruvian strains of Sporothrix schenckii and to compare them to a panel of non-Peruvian strains. AFLP analysis suggests that the Peruvian strains can be divided into two homogeneous clusters with no reference to geographical origin or the clinical form of sporotrichosis. The strains from abroad present he...

Dimorphic switching requires fungal cells to undergo changes in polarized growth in response to environmental stimuli. The Ste20-related kinases are involved in signaling through mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways and in morphogenesis through the regulation of cytokinesis and actin-dependent polarized growth. In this report, we isolated and characterized an Ste20 homologue gene, designat...

In vivo skin testing and in vitro lymphocyte blastogenesis were evaluated in a young adult population as methods for detecting cellular immunity to Sporotrichum schenckii. Similar procedures for Candida albicans and Coccidioides immitis were also investigated. 5 of 143 subjects had positive skin tests and 14 had positive blastogenic responses to S. schenckii. These 14 subjects also exhibited un...

Sporothrix schenckii is a human pathogen that causes sporotrichosis, an important cutaneous mycosis with a worldwide distribution. It produces dark-brown conidia, which infect the host. We found that S. schenckii synthesizes melanin via the 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene pentaketide pathway. Melanin biosynthesis in the wild type was inhibited by tricyclazole, and colonies of the fungus were reddish b...

BACKGROUND Sporotrichosis is a subacute or chronic mycosis acquired by traumatic inoculation or inhalation of fungal conidia. It is caused by the dimorphic fungus Sporothrix, which causes different clinical presentations, being the cutaneous and lymphocutaneous variants being the most frequent. The disseminated cutaneous form is a rare presentation occurring in a minority of cases in Mexico. ...

Sporothrix schenckii is a pathogenic dimorphic fungus with a global distribution. It grows in a multicellular hyphal form at 25˚C and a unicellular yeast form at 37˚C. The morphological switch from mold to yeast form is obligatory for establishing pathogenicity in S. schenckii. Two‑component signaling systems are utilized by eukaryotes to sense and respond to external environmental changes. DRK...

Introduction Most of the 51 species embedded in the genus Sporothrix are nonpathogenic environmental fungi that are closely related to decaying wood, plants, and soil. However, members of the Sporothrix schenckii complex are highly successful mammal pathogens, including S. brasiliensis, S. schenckii sensu stricto (s. str.), S. globosa, and S. luriei, the causative agents of human and animal spo...