Phonetic: Spore-oh-thricks

Sporothrix is mostly found as a widespread saprobe in tropical to temperate areas on a variety of plant materials, soils, rotting wood, peat moss, thorny bushes, insects, and other fungi. It is considered to have type I & III allergens. The species S. schenckii can cause sporotrichosis, a chronic infection characterized by nodular lesions and ulcers in the lymph nodes, skin, or subcutaneous tissues and occasionally in internal organs. The disseminated form involves the skeleton and visceral areas. The lesions are usually found on the arms, hands, or legs, and may involve the bones, joints, skin, central nervous system, eyes, or genitourinary tract, usually only in populations which are immunocompromised. This genus may also cause meningitis. Morphological characteristics include conidiophores that are mostly simple, 1-celled or septate and hyaline, bearing a loose cluster of dry conidia at the apex; conidia are hyaline, 1-celled, globose to ovoid, and born on short, prominent denticles. The colonies are rapid growing, moist, wrinkled, and leathery to velvety in texture, at first white becoming cream to dark brown or black in color. Sporothrix has a filamentous form at 25°C, and a yeast form at 37°C. Culture - Potato dextrose agar, 20° – 25°C, 7 – 10 days.