Sporotrichoid Spread of Nocardia

Sporotrichoid spread describes a clinical syndrome whereby an organism (or tumor) moves up the draining lymphatics of a limb, seeding the lymphatics along the way, leading to inflammatory changes that are manifest (usually) by inflamed nodules.  

The DDx is basically divided into tumors (primarily sarcomas), atypical mycobacteria, typical mycobacteria (tuberculosis), syphilis, Nocardiosis, Cat Scratch Dz, anthrax, tularemia, Yersinia, staphylococcal furunculosis, sporotrichosis and other deep fungal infections such as histoplasmosis, coccidioidomycosis, and North American blastomycosis. And as Tom Lehrer once sang in his famous ditty about the periodic table of the elements, as sung to "The Sergeant Major's Song": "These are the only ones of which the news has come to Haaaarvard, and there may be many others but they haven't been discaaavered!"