Sporotrichosis Causes

• Sporotrichosis usually begins when mold spores are forced under the skin by a rose thorn or sharp stick.
  
  
• The infection can also begin in apparently unbroken skin after contact with hay or moss carrying the mold.
  
  
• Farmers, nursery workers, landscapers, and gardeners are at higher risk for the disease.
  
  
• More rarely, cats or armadillos can transmit the disease.
  
  
• In very rare cases, the organism can be inhaled or ingested, leading to infection of parts of the body other than the skin.
  
  
• The disease does not appear to be transmitted from person to person.