A 31-year-old gardener develops a painless nodule on the right index finger three weeks after a thorn prick. Over the following weeks, several new nodules appear in a linear chain along the forearm draining lymphatics. Pus from a nodule shows cigar-shaped yeast forms. What is the diagnosis?

• A Chromoblastomycosis
• B Cutaneous leishmaniasis
• C Mycetoma
• D Sporotrichosis ✓

Explanation

Sporotrichosis, caused by Sporothrix schenckii, follows inoculation by plant material such as rose thorns or sphagnum moss. The classic pattern is a fixed nodule at the inoculation site followed by ascending nodules along lymphatic channels. Astroid bodies may be seen histologically. Chromoblastomycosis shows muriform cells and remains localized as verrucous plaques without lymphatic chaining.

Reference: Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 21st ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.