SPOROTRICHOSIS OF THE HAND - AN URBAN EXPERIENCE

Sporotrichosis is uncommon in Canadian urban centers. Lymphocutaneous and fixed cutaneous are the most common cutaneous forms of the disease , typically seen in the upper extremity in adult patients. History usu ally reveals a puncture injury contaminated with soil. Lesions are ref ractory to commonly used antibiotics. Cultures of biopsy specimens rel iably grow the fungus Sporothrix schenkii. First line treatment is ora l potassium iodide. We have reviewed a series of 7 cases from various Toronto teaching hospitals and compared them to the world literature.