Sporotrichosis: clinical and histopathological manifestations.

Sporotrichosis is a chronic fungal infection with a global distribution; both sporadically occurring infections and outbreaks of cases are not uncommon. Sporothrix schenckii, as the causative agent, can be isolated from soil, wood, land, and even marine animals. We present the clinical and histopathological presentations of sporotrichosis collected in our department for about 40 years. A series of interesting pictures illustrating asteroid bodies and organism materials, which are rarely seen, are also showed. Asteroid body is characterized by the presence of radiating star-like asteroid or club-shaped eosinophilic material around spores, and 5 types of asteroid body collected in our department are presented.