Vol3-1Art6 Zoonotic Sporotrichosis in the Brazilian Amazon

Alex Panizza Jalkh^2*, Danielle Barreto de Almeida^1*, Nayara de Fátima Lazameth-Diniz³, Naira Sulany Oliveira de Sousa¹, Flávia da Silva Fernandes¹, Walter Oliva Pinto Filho Segundo⁴, Evelyn Campelo⁴, Izabela de Mesquita Bárcia Moreira⁵, Carla Silvana da Silva Santos², Érica Simplício de Souza⁶, Ani Beatriz Jackisch Matsuura⁹, Maria Eduarda Grisólia⁹, Kátia Santana Cruz², Daniel Barros de Castro¹, Hagen Frickmann^7,8, João Vicente Braga de Souza^1#

¹Mycology Laboratory, National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA), Manaus, AM, Brazil; ²Dr. Heitor Vieira Dourado Tropical Medicine Foundation, Manaus, AM, Brazil; ³Programa de Pós-graduação em Genética, Conservação e Biologia Evolutiva do INPA–PPGCBEV, Manaus, AM, Brasil; ⁴Fundação de Vigilância em Saúde Dra. Rosemary Costa Pinto (FVS-RCP), Manaus, AM, Brasil; ⁵Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade e Biotecnologia da Rede BIONORTE, Manaus, AM, Brasil; ⁶Escola Superior de Tecnologia (EST), Universidade do Estado do Amazonas (UEA), Manaus, AM, Brasil; ⁷Department of Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medicine Rostock, Rostock, Germany; ⁸Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany; ⁹Leônidas & Maria Deane Research Center, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Manaus, AM, Brazil

Abstract

Sporotrichosis is an emerging zoonotic mycosis with global distribution and increasing impact on public and veterinary health. Sporothrix brasiliensis is recognized as the main agent driving its expansion in Northern Brazil. The present narrative review synthesizes historical milestones, public health challenges in the Amazon, and the One Health perspective. The novelty of this study lies in addressing the Amazon Region, a context often neglected in literature. We summarize the occurrence of autochthonous transmission in Manaus, the rapid increase in human and feline cases, the predominance of S. brasiliensis among local isolates, and the persistent surveillance and diagnostic gaps aggravated by logistic barriers and limited laboratory capacity. Control strategies are analyzed from a One Health perspective, encompassing human access to antifungal therapy (itraconazole as first-line; terbinafine as an alternative; thermotherapy and cryotherapy as adjuvants), veterinary measures (early diagnosis and treatment, population control through sterilization, and ethical management considerations), and regulatory and surveillance milestones (mandatory notification, culturally adapted education, and decentralized surveillance). In conclusion, this review a) synthesizes the emergence of cat-driven zoonotic sporotrichosis in Brazil, b) summarizes the current expansion of S. brasiliensis transmission in Manaus and Amazonas, and c) proposes One Health-oriented control priorities adapted to Amazonian territorial, diagnostic, and surveillance challenges.  

#Correspondence:
joao.souza@inpa.gov.br

Article info:
Received 17 March 2026
Revised 7 May 2026 
Accepted 12 May 2026 
Appeared online 22 May 2026
One Health Mycology 3(1): 79-93, 2026
doi.org/10.63049/OHM.26.31.6

Cite this article:
Jalkh AP, Barreto de Almeida D, de Fátima Lazameth-Diniz N, Oliveira de Sousa NS, da Silva Fernandes F, Oliva Pinto Filho Segundo W, Campelo E, de Mesquita Bárcia Moreira I, da Silva Santos CS, Simplício de Souza E, Jackisch Matsuura AB, Grisólia ME, Cruz KS, Barros de Castro D, Frickmann H, Braga de Souza JV 2026. Emergence and spread of zoonotic sporotrichosis in the Brazilian Amazon: history, pathogenesis and One Health control strategies. One Health Mycology 3(1), 79-93
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Keywords:
sporotrichosis, Amazon, Sporothrix brasiliensis, zoonotic transmission, public health, One Health

Article highlights:

• Zoonotic sporotrichosis is rapidly expanding in Manaus and Amazonas.
• Sporothrix brasiliensis predominates in human and feline cases from the Amazon outbreak.
• Amazon-specific One Health control requires decentralized diagnosis, feline management, and riverine surveillance.