Sporothrix (Sporotrichum) schenckii in a Nursery Barn Containing Sphagnum: Control of Fungus with a Disinfectant

Sporothrix (Sporotrichum) schenckii was isolated repeatedly over a 3-year period from a nursery storage barn in which a man had presumably acquired sporotrichosis. The evidence indicated that S. schenckii had been carried from one year to the next in a mixture of sphagnum and soil in drain holes and cavities in the barn's cement floor, as well as occasionally on moist wood or used sphagnum. Flooding the drain holes and cavities with a phenolic fungicide reduced the contamination. More complete control was obtained when the walls and ceiling of the empty barn were also sprayed with the disinfectant. Following disinfection, 37 samples taken at random from all over the floor and from piles of plants were negative for S. schenckii. Failure to isolate S. schenckii from used sphagnum which was assayed a year after it was placed outside the barn indicates a need for studying the effect of wintering on this fungus. Conclusive evidence that the pathogen was introduced into the barn in new bales of the moss was not obtained; nor was it demonstrated that S. schenckii was introduced from the surrounding fields.