Sporotrichosis in Children

Although sporotrichosis is reputed to occur only rarely in children, we have seen 11 such children in the last ten years. Questionnaires were sent to the parents of these children and the data from the questionnaires were compared to the data available for 36 previously reported cases in children. We found that the clinical lesions of sporotrichosis are identical in children and adults but that children are a little less likely to have visible lymphatic satellite lesions and are a little more likely to have lesions on the face and trunk, probably as a result of rough and tumble outdoor play. Oral potassium iodide therapy was curative and recurrences were not a problem. Scarring occurred at the site of the original lesion but was not considered disfiguring.