Extracutaneous sporotrichosis.

The typical infection with Sporothrix schenckii is characterized by superficial cutaneous nodules occurring along the lines of lymphatic drainage of the limbs. Review of the medical records at the Mayo Clinic from 1937 to the present disclosed 58 patients with sporotrichosis. Eleven patients had evidence of extracutaneous infection. Eight of the patients were men whose ages ranged from 25 to 71 years; the ages of the three women were 54, 64, and 67. Seven patients had predominantly joint involvement, with the knee and wrist joints being most often infected. Other sites of infection included the mandible and ethmoid sinuses. Three patients had disseminated systemic infection, and one patient died within a year of the initial diagnosis. Nine patients had been in good health before the infection, although five patients were taking systemic corticosteroids before their infection was diagnosed. Therapies included supersaturated potassium iodide, amphotericin B, and 2-hydroxystilbamidine isethionate. Although most commonly seen as a cutaneous disease, sporotrichosis is a potentially disseminated infection with life-threatening consequences.