[The goat: approach to an animal model in human chromomycosis]

In Falcon State, Venezuela, human chromomycosis is mainly caused by a dimorphic fungus, Cladophialophora carrionii. Xerophytes plants are common in the State and goat breeding in an extensive system as the main way of living. There are not published reports of chromomycosis in goats, despite the fact of their permanent exposition to fungus by accidental inoculation with infected spines. To evaluate parasitic transformation to sclerotic cells, length of fungus-surviving period and histopathological lesions, goats of five months of age were inoculated with 1 x 10(6) cells of C. carrionii by subcutaneous route in the neck and biopsies at 10, 19, 30 and 60 days from inoculated places were performed. Tissues were analyzed by (a) direct test with KOH 10%; (b) inoculation in Saboraud dextrose culture and (c) histopathological techniques. Hyphae and sclerotic cells were observed on tissues treated with KOH 10%; growing of fungus was detected in specific medium up to four weeks post-inoculation. Tissue pathology showed necrotic foci, mixed polymorphonuclear infiltrate, predominance of mononuclear cells, lymphocytes, plasmocytes, cosinophils and giant cells, hyphae and sclerotic cells in each one of samples. C. carrionii caused cellular reactions in goats as those seen in humans at the first stages of infection; however, animals did not develop the typical macroscopic lesions of the human disease.