Epidemiological survey of ringworm outbreak in cat shelter

Abstract

Dermatophytosis (ringworm) is the most important infectious and contagious skin disease of cats in shelters. Wherein, the diagnosis, identification and treatment of dermatophytosis is not always effective. Here we report an epidemiological study of the outbreak of feline dermatophytosis in animal shelter in Moscow region. At least 11% of cats kept in the shelter were affected. Seventeen cats suspected dermatophytosis were isolated for mycological examination and treatment, 82% of them were culture-positive. These cats received a course of oral terbinafine, with no topical treatment. Of the dermatophyte-positive cats, 36% demonstrated skin lesions, while 64% were asymptomatic. No mycological control of recovery was carried out after treatment. It was found that 44% of clinically recovered cats turned to be asymptomatic carriers. When examining environmental objects (bedding, cat houses, floors, etc.), dermatophytes were isolated from 80% of the samples. The only causative agent of dermatophytosis was Microsporum canis. The MIC (minimal inhibitory concentration) of terbinafine for clinical strains of M. canis was determined to be 0.001-0.002 μg/ml. The study confirms the need for large-scale mycological screening of cats in shelters using DTM-type diagnostic media. Oral therapy alone is not sufficient for effective treatment; it should include the whole-body antifungal treatment. Mycological control of cure is also mandatory.

A review: the prevalence of dermatophytosis on cats in Indonesia and Turkey

“…Based on the age of the sampled animals, the prevalence of feline dermatophytosis in this study from the highest to the lowest was 36/181 (19.9%) for cats younger than one year, 9/136 (6.6%) for cats between one and three years of age, and 7/111 (6.3%) for cats older than three years of age (Table 2). As reported by [17], 11/17 (64.7%) of dermatophytepositive cats were younger than one year, while [3,18] reported that cats aged 6 months and younger were more likely to have greater prevalence. Increased susceptibility to dermatophytosis in kittens can be impaired by a variety of causes, including immaturity of the immune system, insufficiency of past immunity, skin micro trauma induced by siblings or ectoparasites, and frequent close contact with other cats during socialization [3,17].…”

“…As reported by [17], 11/17 (64.7%) of dermatophytepositive cats were younger than one year, while [3,18] reported that cats aged 6 months and younger were more likely to have greater prevalence. Increased susceptibility to dermatophytosis in kittens can be impaired by a variety of causes, including immaturity of the immune system, insufficiency of past immunity, skin micro trauma induced by siblings or ectoparasites, and frequent close contact with other cats during socialization [3,17]. The present study found a moderately higher incidence of dermatophytes (13.4%) in female cats than in male cats (10.7%), as compared to a study in Eastern India that recorded a higher prevalence of male cats than female cats and the disparity in prevalence between female and male cats may be due to unequal number of samples of each sex [7].…”