Rose Thorn Disease

With Spring just around the corner, gardeners everywhere are gearing up for another planting season. Among the most popular plants on the planet, roses are an all American favorite. The rose, our national flower, is one of the most lovely blooms in the garden. Long prized for their exquisite scents and graceful forms, the rose is a true classic. But there is a risk for the unwary when handling roses. Sophorix shenckii, commonly known as rose thorn disease. This nasty fungus often resides on the tips of rose thorns, on spaghnum mosses and hay.

Rose thorn disease has a long documented history in medicine. In fact, Alexander Fleming, the father of penicillin, first tested it on a gentleman who was suffering with this fungus. Unfortunately he died.

Sophorix is a yeasty fungus that can wreak havoc on the human body. An infected gardener can experience redness, swelling and open weeping ulcerations along the puncture site. The fungus then travels quickly to the lymphatic system where it spreads thoughout the body. It can infect the eyes causing keratitis, migrate to the bones and joints, and damage the central nervous system and lungs.

A deeply embedded thorn has been found to migrate into the bones or muscles, away from the original site. There it will bury itself, causing pain, fever and other signs of infection. Because this is not a commonly known disease, it often gets misdiagnosed. A physician, noting the open weeping lesions, may begin treatment for streptoccocal or staphloccocal infections. Only when there is no obvious improvement, will a physician begin seeking other causes.

Diagnosing sophorix is not easy. There is a skin test, similar to the TB test, which is fairly effective in pinpointing rose thorn disease. But it mainly is effective at identifying active lung infection and often misses the skin infection entirely. For deeply embedded thorns traditional X-rays, MRI's and CAT scans don't normally pick up on the thorn. However, ultrasound has been found to demonstrate the existence of an embedded thorn.

Treatment is instituted using oral potassium chloride, or the anti-fungal drugs Ketoconazol, or Itraconazol. But the best way to handle rose thorn disease is prevention. If you get jabbed with a thorn, clean the area completely, and make certain no thorn remains embedded in the skin. If you suffer a deeper puncture and cannot safely remove it yourself, seek medical treatment.

The other two ways to contract rose thorn disease are through spaghnum mosses and hay. Workers who work in places where spaghnum is packaged show up to a 25% exposure rate to this fungus. It is used in potted plants and other home decor items. Since there is no testing done on mosses, an unwary consumer can become infected quite easily. Sophorix in moss has spores of this fungus which are inhaled and travel to the lungs and brain.

I recommend taking new plants outdoors and wetting the moss thoroughly, then using gloved hands removing it and throwing it away. Until there is a standardized screening for sophorix in products using sphagnum moss, it is just not worth the risk having it in your homes or gardens.

The bottom line is that rose thorn disease is something that can be avoided using good garden safety habits, and being aware of what you are dealing with. A few moments of extra care could potentially save you a long painful and possibly fatal illness.