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Application of immunoprecipitation techniques to the diagnosis of cutaneous and extracutaneous forms of sporotrichosis

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Abstract

Sporotrichosis is a mycosis which in our country has been described as only producing cutaneous and subcutaneous infections; in other countries it has been reported as causing pulmonary, bone, joint and meningeal infections.

Possibly the systemic form also occurs in Venezuela since, along with the causative agent, all other factors considered as predisposing to systemic infection exist here.

Through immunodiffusion (ID) and immunoelectrophoresis (IEP) and using a filamentous form metabolic antigen from Sporothrix schenckii, we were able to demonstrate precipitating antibodies against this fungus both in patients with cutaneous sporotrichosis, diagnosed by culture of the infecting agent, and in patients with pulmonary lesions. The IEP test showed the presence of an anodic arc which we have called the ‘S’ arc, which could be one of the specific antigens of S. schenckii.

Resumen

En Venezuela, el diagnóstico de la esporotricosis solo se plantea ante lesiones cutáneas y subcutáneas, sin embargo, no deja de llamar la atención que siendo esta micosis la más frecuente en nuestro medio y existiendo concomitantemente en la población todos los factores predisponentes para que el S. schenckii invada órganos internos, estas localizaciones no han sido descritas.

La incorporación del antígeno del S. schenckii para detectar anticuerpos circulantes en la ID en nuestros estudios serológicos de rutina, nos permitió observar la presencia de bandas de precipitación contra este antígeno en sueros de pacientes con lesiones pulmonares, igualmente fueron detectados anticuerpos en pacientes con esporotricosis cutáneas diagnosticadas por cultivo.

El estudio de la estructura antigénica de este hongo, puso de manifiesto la presencia de un arco de localización anódica, que podría ser producido por uno de los antígenos específicos de este hongo; este arco que denominamos ‘S’ fue visualizado en todos los casos positivos de esporotricosis cutáneas, al ser estudiados sus sueros en la IEF.

Los estudios realizados en sueros de pacientes con lesiones pulmonares pusieron de manifiesto anticuerpos precipitantes en la ID e IEF, con las caractéristicas de evidenciar más de una línea de precipitación en la ID y un arco S más largo en la IEF, pudiendo ser esto originado por mayor producción de anticuerpos circulantes. Se plantea la necesidad de obtener el cultivo del S. schenckii de las posibles lesiones extracutáneas de esta micosis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pan American Health Organization Center for Research and Training in Leprosy and Related Diseases, Instituto Nacional de Dermatología, Sección Micología, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela

    María B. de Albornoz, Elio Villanueva & Elvia D. de Torres

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  1. María B. de Albornoz
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  2. Elio Villanueva
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  3. Elvia D. de Torres
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de Albornoz, M.B., Villanueva, E. & de Torres, E.D. Application of immunoprecipitation techniques to the diagnosis of cutaneous and extracutaneous forms of sporotrichosis. Mycopathologia 85, 177–183 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00440950

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