The infection Sporothrix schenckii typically causes which clinical form when lymphatics are involved?

• A. Pulmonary histoplasmosis
• B. Primary cutaneous sporotrichosis
• C. Mucormycosis
• D. Lymphocutaneous sporotrichosis

Answer: (D)

Lymphatic spread is the hallmark of this presentation. When Sporothrix schenckii enters the skin, it can stay localized or spread through the lymphatic system. If lymphatics are involved, the classic pattern is lymphocutaneous sporotrichosis, with a primary lesion at the inoculation site followed by a series of nodules that ascend along the draining lymphatic channels toward regional lymph nodes. This “sporotrichoid spread” along lymphatics is what distinguishes it from other forms. Other options describe different fungal diseases or presentations without this characteristic lymphatic chain: a single fixed cutaneous lesion without spread; lung-involved disease like pulmonary histoplasmosis; or an angioinvasive mucormycosis.