SPOROTRICHOSIS, AN OCCUPATIONAL DERMATOSIS

Abstract

In a consideration of occupational diseases of the skin, sporotrichosis, because of its relative infrequency, has received scant attention. I believe, however, that there is no disease of parasitic origin in which a larger proportion of the total cases can be considered as having originated in occupational hazards, and in which the acquisition of the disease has been so uniformly productive of occupational disability. It is therefore pertinent to discuss this disease as an occupational dermatosis. In doing this, I wish to direct attention to the observation of sporotrichosis as an endemic disease in the gardening industry, and to emphasize the importance of the barberry shrub as a possible source of the infection. The apparent increasing prevalence of this disease should make of practical importance a consideration of its origin, mode of infection, and economic status. This is of importance especially in those states where legislation has been enacted for