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Components and Virulence Factors of the Sporothrix schenckii Species Complex

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Sporotrichosis

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Abstract

Sporotrichosis is a fungal infection caused by the Sporothrix schenckii species complex, which includes species of clinical relevance such as S. brasiliensis, S. schenckii sensu stricto, S. globosa, S. mexicana, and S. luriei. When S. schenckii was discovered as a species complex with several entities, the similarities and differences among these pathogenic species began to be studied with respect to their virulence, susceptibility to antifungal agents, protein production, and immunogenicity, among other characteristics. Still, little is known about the factors that contribute to the virulence of this species complex and about the mechanisms involved in the establishment and development of sporotrichosis. This chapter reviews the virulence factors and main components described for the S. schenckii complex, which include fungal dimorphism, thermotolerance, melanin production, secretion of proteases, and cell surface components.

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Acknowledgments

This work was partially supported by grant CB-2011 No. 167737 from the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACyT, México) to ERB. CAAF thanks the scholarship No. 201509 granted by the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACyT), México. The authors wish to thank Amelia Pérez Mejía for her documental assistance and Omar Posada Villarreal for editing Fig. 3.4.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango, Av. Veterinaria s/n, Durango, Dgo., México, C.P. 34120, México

    Estela Ruiz-Baca & Carlos A. Alba-Fierro

  2. Departamento de Biología Celular y Tisular, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México D.F., 04510, México

    Armando Pérez-Torres

  3. Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México D.F., 04510, México

    Conchita Toriello

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  1. Estela Ruiz-Baca
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  2. Carlos A. Alba-Fierro
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  3. Armando Pérez-Torres
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  4. Conchita Toriello
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Correspondence to Estela Ruiz-Baca .

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  1. Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio Mesquita Filho UNESP, Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil

    Iracilda Zeppone Carlos

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Ruiz-Baca, E., Alba-Fierro, C.A., Pérez-Torres, A., Toriello, C. (2015). Components and Virulence Factors of the Sporothrix schenckii Species Complex. In: Zeppone Carlos, I. (eds) Sporotrichosis. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-11912-0_3

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