A Kansas veterinarian became the third American to contract a rare fungal infection after she was scratched by a cat.
He was left with horrible sores that spread to his arm and one of the cats had to be put down when the injuries worsened and spread to the other three limbs.
The incident occurred in Kansas, when the cat arrived at the woman’s clinic with an injury to its paw and the veterinary technician treated it.
It was the second cat in the area to contract sporotrichosis, officially making it a “cluster” that the CDC saw fit to warn other veterinarians about.
The cat scratched her through a puncture in her glove and came into direct contact with lesions on the cat’s paws that were discovered to be caused by the Sporothrix fungus.
First cat was humanely euthanized and cremated after she failed to improve
The first cat’s injuries worsened and he had to be humanely euthanized.
This was the third human case in the US, but infections are much more common in South America, where the fungus is prevalent in soil and on plants.
The specific fungus that caused the lesions, Sporothrix schenckii, is typically seen in tropical climates, particularly in soil and on decaying plants.
It causes sporotrichosis when it comes into contact with breaks in the skin or puncture wounds. In the vet’s case, they initially caused ulcers on his fingers that, if left untreated, could have caused the tissue there to die.
According to the CDC: ‘Sporotrichosis usually affects the skin or tissues under the skin. The first symptom… is usually a small, painless lump that can appear any time between 1 and 12 weeks after exposure to the fungus.
‘The bump may be red, pink or purple and usually appears on the finger, hand or arm where the fungus entered through a break in the skin. The lump will eventually grow and may look like an open sore or ulcer that takes a long time to heal.’
The vet tech’s scratch caused an ulcer on his hand two weeks later.
He had to undergo treatment with antifungal medication for eight months before the lesions on his arm healed.
Cases of S. schenckii fungal infections transmitted by cats are rare in the US and the disease is usually caused by a fungus native to Brazil. The infection rate in the US is difficult to diagnose because there is no national surveillance.
The risk factors for cats getting sporotrichosis are similar to those in humans, including contamination of wounds with hay, roses, or sphagnum moss, or bites or scratches from other cats.
The incident occurred in 2022 in two cats. The first cat the doctors saw was the one that caused the veterinary technician’s infection.
The infection caused horrible sores to appear on the vet tech’s finger and spread up her arm.
The cats contracted the disease after fighting. It is more common among cats that spend time outdoors.
The CDC recommends keeping them indoors as much as possible to avoid infection and transmission.
The first cat was humanely euthanized and cremated.
The second cat, brought in by the same owners, was found to have an infection with the same fungus.
CDC-affiliated researchers wrote: ‘The disease course of Cat 1 highlights the potential severity of feline sporotrichosis.
“Early diagnosis of sporotrichosis and early initiation of treatment with appropriate antifungals can improve outcomes and help prevent transmission to other cats or humans.”
About two weeks after the vet tech’s glove was punctured, a small blister formed on his hand and the tissue died.
He was started on cephalexin, an antibiotic commonly used to treat skin infections, but was switched to itraconazole, an antifungal, and doxycycline, an antibiotic.
He took those medications for eight months and recovered.
The researchers added: “In conclusion, increased awareness of sporotrichosis in cats and the potential for zoonotic transmission could help veterinary professionals more quickly recognize and treat feline cases and take precautions to avoid human acquisition in the veterinary setting.” .
Wounds caused by scratches or bites from infected cats should be washed immediately and people who come into contact “should seek medical attention as soon as possible.”
Some people are known to contract sporotrichosis simply by touching an infected cat and then touching their eyes. Scratches or bites don’t always cause it.
The CDC has warned about the zoonotic spread of sporotrichosis in the past, although infections have been primarily seen in South America. A March 2023 study showed three known human cases of the disease in the UK for the first time.
The UK cases involved a 63-year-old woman, her 30-year-old daughter and a veterinarian in his 20s. The three individuals had been in contact with a 9-year-old male domestic cat that the mother and daughter, originally from south-east Brazil, had rescued and brought to the UK three years earlier.
The woman, her daughter, and the veterinarian’s symptoms (small lesions on the arms or fingers) completely disappeared after treatment with itraconazole.
Sporotrichosis is not usually fatal, although if left untreated it can cause inflammation throughout the body or infection in the organs. People with weakened immune systems and those living with HIV may be at higher risk of developing more serious illnesses.