The pathogenic potential of Sporotrichum pruinosum isolated from the human respiratory tract.

The repeated occurrence of Sporotrichum pruinosum, demonstrated by direct microscopy and culture, is reported from the respiratory tract of three patients who complained of cough, expectoration of sputum, dyspnoea and occasional pyrexia. This observation coupled with the presence of immediate, type I, cutaneous hypersensitivity against S. pruinosum in two of the patients and the ability of the fungus to incite lesions in experimentally infected mice supported an etiologic relationship between the fungus and the patients' symptoms. The macroscopic and microscopic characters of one of the clinical isolates of S. pruinosum are briefly described. It is suggested that the isolation of S. pruinosum from clinical specimens should not be regarded as of no etiologic significance without careful clinical and laboratory evaluation of the patient.