Application of immunoprecipitation techniques to the diagnosis of cutaneous and extracutaneous forms of sporotrichosis.

Sporotrichosis is a mycosis which in our country has been described as only producing cutaneous and subcutaneous infections; in other countries it has been reported as causing pulmonary, bone, joint and meningeal infections. Possibly the systemic form also occurs in Venezuela since, along with the causative agent, all other factors considered as predisposing to systemic infection exist here. Through immunodiffusion (ID) and immunoelectrophoresis (IEP) and using a filamentous form metabolic antigen from Sporothrix schenckii, we were able to demonstrate precipitating antibodies against this fungus both in patients with cutaneous sporotrichosis, diagnosed by culture of the infecting agent, and in patients with pulmonary lesions. The IEP test showed the presence of an anodic arc which we have called the 'S' arc, which could be one of the specific antigens of S. schenckii.