Sporotrichin Skin Test for the Diagnosis of Sporotrichosis

• Main Authors: Alexandro Bonifaz, Conchita Toriello, Javier Araiza, Max C. Ramírez-Soto, Andrés Tirado-Sánchez
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2018-05-01
• Series: Journal of Fungi
• Subjects: sporotrichosis; sporotrichin; skin test; Sporothrix schenckii
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/4/2/55

Sporotrichosis is the most common implantation mycosis caused by several species of the Sporothrix schenckii complex. The gold standard for diagnosis is concerned with the isolation of the fungus; although, fresh examinations, staining, and biopsies are also helpful for this purpose. The sporotrichin is an antigenic complex comprised of a peptide-rhamnomannan, which is relevant with respect to pathogenic fungi; it is primarily used for serological and skin testing. We present a study regarding the use of sporotrichin as a diagnostic aid for cutaneous sporotrichosis. Furthermore, 138 cases with suspicion of sporotrichosis were included, 55 of which were proven through cultures. Moreover, out of these 55 cases, 52 (94.5%) tested positive for sporotrichin, while the negative cases corresponded to the disseminated cutaneous forms. We observed a sensitivity of 94.5% and a specificity of 95.2%. We consider that the use of sporotrichin as a skin test helps us as an auxiliary diagnosis before a positive sample culture.