The dimorphic fungus Sporothrix schenckii commonly causes localized cutaneous disease with lymphocutaneous distribution. However, disseminated sporotrichosis occurs predominantly in immunocompromised patients.  We report a case of disseminated cutaneous sporotrichosis in a patient with newly diagnosed HIV with a CD4 count of 208.  The patient presented with multiple cutaneous and subcutaneous nodules as well as fever and malaise. Tissue culture and skin biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of sporotrichosis. He was started on itraconazole 200mg twice a day with rapid resolution of fever along with cessation of the development of new lesions.

Sporotrichosis is a subcutaneous mycotic infection caused by Sporothrix schenckii, a group of common saprophytes of soil, plants, and organic debris. Disseminated forms may be seen in the setting of immunosuppression and are typically treated initially with intravenous lipidized amphotericin B. We report an unusual case of a 65-year-old woman who developed disseminated cutaneous sporotrichosis with extensive facial involvement in the absence of a known primary inoculation. Her cutaneous lesions completely resolved after treatment with intravenous posaconazole without amphotericin B.

A 63-year-old immunocompetent patient presented with a 4 month history of 12 painless nodules in a linear array on his right arm. He had a history of a surgery for a cutaneous tumor on the dorsum of his right middle finger about a year prior, but he did not follow up after the surgery. A differential diagnosis of sporotrichosis, atypical mycobacteria, deep fungal infection, and metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) was considered. Skin biopsy revealed islands of dysplastic squamous cells and keratin pearls in a desmoplastic stroma in the deep dermis and subcutaneous tissue. The behavior of the disease was very aggressive, with rapid dissemination in a linear array, mimicking an infectious sporotrichoid spread. To our knowledge, this is the second case report of sporotrichoid metastases to the skin from cutaneous SCC in an immunocompetent patient.