A Healthy Cat Makes A Healthy Home
Written by Andrea Martinez Vera
Edited by Khushi Shah
September 27th, 2023
Edited by Khushi Shah
September 27th, 2023
Health and Wellness
Sporotrichosis is an infection caused by a fungus called Sporothrix . The genus, Sporothrix is a nonpathogenic environmental fungi that use mycelial(a rootlike structure) to saprophytic feed on the environment, aka. feed on dead organic material decaying around them. Infections arise with the members of this genus that behave like mammal pathogens. S. schenckii, for example, has been documented in the United States to cause Sporotrichosis. Due to their additional ability to live in parasitic yeast cells at temperatures of 35 ̊C–37 ̊C, warm-blooded mammals such as dogs, cats and humans become great hosts (Gremião, 2017).
Sporotrichosis is a zoonotic disease meaning it can pass from human to animal and vice versa. In this case, the infection is transmitted through the skin or mucosa. The most common occurrence in which Sporotrichosis is spread is through cuts or bites between animals or animals to humans. One Brazilian institution, the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro recorded that from 1997 to 2011, 4,188 cases of human Sporotrichosis were recorded, along with 244 cases of dogs and 4,703 of cats. However, they also pointed out that although a large number of dogs contracted sporotrichosis, there was no zoonotic transmission (animal to human) in the de Janeiro epidemic. The institution guessed that it could be because the fungal organism was not in those dog lesions. Additionally, in the endemic region in Peru, no zoonotic transmission was recorded, but Sporothrix was found in two cats that did not present signs of clinical sporotrichosis. Meaning, cats may harbor the fungi without presenting symptoms of the disease and thus humans would be unaware, and the disease can spread (Gremião, 2017).
In order to combat Sporotrichosis, preventive measures and treatment must both be considered. In terms of treatment, drugs are being developed that can keep up with variations of Sporothrix that can cause Sporotrichosis, but diagnosis is just as essential. Cat owners should keep their cats as indoor pets or outdoor pets, by allowing them to leave and come as they please they can bring home a risk. Additionally, owners should check and or perform regular prophylactic deworming and make sure they are up-to-date with their vaccinations and neutering. These actions can help protect one another and better the health of everyone's favorite feline friends (Gremião, 2017).
References
Gremião, I. D. F., Miranda, L. H. M., Reis, E. G., Rodrigues, A. M., & Pereira, S. A. (2017). Zoonotic Epidemic of Sporotrichosis: Cat to Human Transmission. PLOS Pathogens, 13(1), e1006077. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1006077
Image Source: “Woman holding her adorable kitty indoors” by freepik licensed under CC BY 3.0