Sporotrichosis Following Mouse Bite with Certain Immunologic Data

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases 1918-09, Vol.23 (3), p.252-266
• Main Authors: Moore, Josiah J., Davis, David John
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antigens; Fingers; Hemolysis; Infections; Lesions; Nodules; Potassium; Spores; Sporotrichosis; Ulcers
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1086/infdis/23.3.252

An instance of an infection with Sporotrichum schenckii following the bite of a field mouse in North Dakota is described. It is not known whether the organisms came from the mouse or from the soil or the skin. The infection has now persisted for about 18 months, improving with administration of iodid and relapsing when the iodid is discontinued. Repeated sporo-agglutination tests gave positive results at serum dilutions varying from 1-320 to 1-80. At one time, when the patient had almost recovered, the test was slight at 1-20, but later became stronger. In general this test parallels the clinical course. Complement fixation tests made at various times generally yielded definitely positive results, corresponding thus to the agglutination tests. In the icebox the antibodies in the serum retain their activity for over one year. The antigens in these tests consisted of several strains of sporotricha including the autogenous organism, the original Schenck-Hektoen strain, a French strain (Sp. beurmanni) obtained from iGougerot, an equine strain from Meyer in the United States, and a strain previously isolated from a typical case in this country. All behaved approximately alike toward the patient's serum, pointing to the identity of the different strains. Intracutaneous tests made with French and American strains on this patient yielded strongly positive reactions. A blastomyces antigen did not cause a reaction in this patient nor did a blastomycotic patient react to the sporotrichum antigen. The antigens are stable substances resisting heat and retaining their activity for over a year. The administration of potassium iodid to sporotrichotic or normal persons does not appreciably alter the sporotrichin reaction. In sporotrichum infections antibodies of various kinds are readily generated. This disease, therefore, is in marked contrast to blastomycosis, a closely related disease, in which antibodies are apparently generated with great difficulty or not at all.