RESUMO
BACKGROUND: To date the direct fresh examination has not been considered, except by a few authors, as a valid laboratory procedure for the diagnosis of cutaneous sporotrichosis. METHODS: Forty-two patients with cutaneous sporotrichosis (36 lymphangitic and six fixed) were studied. Pus was obtained through digital compression of opened lesions followed by collection with a spatula and examination of the material between the slide and the coverslip. Cultures on Sabouraud's glucose agar slants with cloramphenicol and cicloheximide were made in all cases. RESULTS: Direct, fresh examination asteroid bodies of Sporothrix schenckii were found in 85.7% of the cases, which allowed the authors to immediately diagnose the disease. Cultures confirmed the diagnosis in 95.2% of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: Fastness, simplicity and low cost of the fresh examination lead us to recommend systematic use of the method for primary diagnosis of the disease, mainly at first level public health laboratories.
