Combining disciplines in the field of modern microbiology: a quantitative analysis of the literature on sporotrichosis.

BACKGROUND

Sporotrichosis, a chronic infectious disease caused by the Sporothrix schenckii complex, has seen a rising incidence globally due to environmental changes and an increasing population of immunocompromised individuals, presenting a significant public health challenge.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to elucidate the primary research themes, influential authors and institutions, and the evolution of sporotrichosis research trends through bibliometric analysis. In addition, we employ Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) for topic modeling to identify potential research avenues and conceptual associations, while text mining analysis is used to uncover research gaps.

METHODS

A comprehensive literature search was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science Core Collection (1975-2024), yielding 1299 records. Various analytical tools, including Citespace, VOSviewer, and R's bibliometrix package, were used for data analysis and visualization. The LDA algorithm was applied for topic modeling.

RESULTS

The analysis revealed an increasing trend in publications and citations, with Brazil leading in research output. Key authors and journals were identified, highlighting a shift in research focus from epidemiology and clinical manifestations to treatment methods, drug development, and pathogen classification. Topic modeling identified five major research directions.

CONCLUSION

This bibliometric analysis highlights the interdisciplinary nature of sporotrichosis research and identifies critical areas for future investigation, including pathogenesis, diagnostic improvements, and novel therapeutic strategies. Enhanced international collaboration and resource sharing are essential to address the challenges posed by sporotrichosis, ultimately improving public health outcomes related to this disease.