It grows well in a variety of soils and decaying vegetation in both temperate and tropical climates. Particularly rich sources of S. schenckii spores are sphagnum moss, barberry or rose thorns, splinters from old rotting wood, and some soils.
Infection usually occurs in gardeners, farmers, and children.
Disease commonly arises from subcutaneous inoculation with infectious spores by a contaminated thorn or other sharp object. In rare cases, spores may be inhaled, resulting in a primary pulmonary infection. Significant immunologic cross-reactivity has been shown between S. schenckii and C. albicans . The enhanced immune responsiveness of women to candidal antigens, presumably caused by chronic candidal colonization of the vagina, may account for their relative resistance to sporotrichosis. Sporotrichosis may be difficult to recognize by histologic studies, and it is axiomatic that culture of skin lesions is more useful than microscopic examination.