In the United States, a fungal infection called sporotrichosis has been known as rose gardener’s disease. The fungus that causes it, Sporothrix, lives in soil and on plant matter that includes rose bushes and usually manifests as one or more open sores or deep skin ulcers when it enters the body through a small cut or scrape. But in South America, the disease has become an epidemic by spreading from cats to people via bites and scratches. It started in Brazil and has now spread to Chile, Argentina, and most recently, the United Kingdom.
The CDC says that the feline spread of sporotrichosis has not yet occurred here but that people should “be careful” with unfamiliar cats. The fungus is most often spread by strays and pet cats allowed outdoors.
If it remains just a skin infection, the disease can be cured with anti-fungal medicine, most commonly itraconazole. But in its more severe forms, it can affect the lungs, bones, joints, or central nervous system.
