Me, neither! Or maybe you have. It's known as "gardeners disease" because it is a fungal infection gotten when Sporothrix schenkii enters a wound such as a thorn prick. Here's what one paper says:

"Sporothrix schenkii is a dimorphic fungus that grows in a yeast form in body tissue ... . The organism is generally considered to be a saprophyte and grows naturally on vegetation or in soil, with a predilection for soils rich in organic matter or vegetable debris, especially sphagnum moss and tree bark. Sporothrix schenkii has world-wide distribution and is found in temperate and tropical zones."

Temperate would be us, for sure.

My cat - the one with FIV - was diagnosed with feline sporotrichosis last Thursday. FT is a zoonotic condition; i.e., it is easily transmitted to people from cats. I'm having a hard time believing this diagnosis. I've cuddled, hugged, petted and kissed this kitty for months and I've got nothing. The pills - fluconazole - made him sick and he ate practically nothing for two days.

Have any of you come across this? Has anyone developed nodules or lesions on your hands from digging in the (heavily amended, of course) soil? There are some pretty nasty pictures in some papers I found. The cat has one tiny little thing on his ear that looked like a blood blister - the single reason I took him in to see the vet in the first place. I'm mystified and hope someone knows something about this.

Please also see my other post.