Gastrointestinal inoculation of Sporothrix schenckii in mice

Antibiotic-decontaminated and untreated conventional mice were inoculated intragastrically with 10⁷ viable cells of Sporothrix schenckii to compare the incidence of gastrointestinal (GI) colonization. In control mice, S. schenckii was completely eliminated from the GI tract by 12 h post-inoculation. Antibiotictreated mice also failed to become colonized with this fungus, however, higher population levels of Sporothrix cells remained in the GI tract for a longer period of time before being eliminated. The ability of S. schenckii to disseminate from the lumen of the bowel to infect other organs was also tested. Results indicate that the gastrointestinal tract is not a portal of entry into the host for S. schenckii.