Sporotrichosis: an emerging neglected opportunistic infection in HIV-infected patients in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2014 Aug 28;8(8):e3110. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0003110. eCollection 2014 Aug.

Abstract

Sporotrichosis associated with zoonotic transmission remains a relevant public health problem in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, affecting a large at-risk population, which includes HIV-infected individuals. We assessed patients co-infected by Sporothrix spp. and HIV over time in the context of an unabated sporotrichosis epidemic. A retrospective cohort retrieved information from a National reference institute for infectious diseases regarding 48 patients with sporotrichosis-HIV co-infection (group 1) as well as 3,570 patients with sporotrichosis (group 2), from 1987 through March 2013. Most patients from group 1 were male (68.8%), whereas women were predominant in group 2 (69.1%; p<0.0001). Patients from group 1 were younger than those from group 2 (μ = 38.38±10.17 vs. 46.34±15.85; p<0.001) and differed from group 2 in terms of their race/ethnic background, with 70.8% non-white patients in group 1 vs. 38.6% from group 2 (p<0.0001). Close to half (∼44%) of the patients from group 1 were hospitalized due to sporotrichosis over time, whereas hospitalization was very unlikely in group 2, among whom approximately 1% were hospitalized over time. Dissemination of sporotrichosis was the main cause of hospitalization in both groups, although it was more common among hospitalized patients from group 1 (19/21 [90.5%] vs. 16/37 [43.2%]; p<0.001). Over the period under analysis, eight patients died due to sporotrichosis (3/48 vs. 5/3,570). The diagnosis of sporotrichosis elicited HIV testing and subsequent diagnosis in 19/48 patients, whereas 23/48 patients were simultaneously diagnosed with the two infections. HIV infection aggravates sporotrichosis, with a higher incidence of severe disseminated cases and a higher number of hospitalizations and deaths. Underserved populations, among whom sporotrichosis has been propagated, have been affected by different transmissible (e.g., HIV) and non-transmissible diseases. These populations should be targeted by community development programs and entitled to integrated management and care of their superimposed burdens.

MeSH terms

  • AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / epidemiology*
  • Adult
  • Brazil / epidemiology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neglected Diseases / epidemiology*
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Sporotrichosis / epidemiology*

Grants and funding

Financial support was received from FAPERJ/Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (grant proc. E-26/110.619/2012) and PAPES VI – CNPq/Fiocruz (grant proc. 407693/2012-2). DFSF received financial support from CNPq and CAPES. RMZO was supported in part by CNPq (350338/2000-0) and FAPERJ (E-26/103.157/2011). MCGG received partial funding from the Brazilian National STD/AIDS Program, Ministry of Health (46/CV079/2006). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.