The dermatitis by Caparinia tripilis and Microsporum , in african pygmy hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris) in Romania – first report

Abstract

Investigations were conducted on a case of generalized dermatitis in an African pygmy hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris), purchased as a pet. Clinical examination revealed restlessness, agitation, itching and scratching, large alopecic areas, skin congestion and thin whitish scabs. Five skin lesions were scraped and the samples were collected for laboratory tests. Microscopy revealed the presence of the mite Caparinia tripilis (Acari: Psoroptidae). A dermatophyte belonging to Microsporum genus was also isolated by culture on specific media. Selamectin spot-on and enilconazole washes were used for treatment, resulting in skin healing and spines growing. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of Caparinia tripilis dermatitis in a hedgehog in Romania.

Dermatophyte infection transmitted by an African pygmy hedgehog

“…Pathogenic fungi can be transmitted to humans from the African pygmy hedgehog, 2 as well as from the European wild hedgehog. In the African pygmy hedgehog, dermatophytosis is often associated with acariosis, 3 which was also observed in our patient's hedgehog. In our case, we observed the clinical picture of an atypical vesicular/bullous dermatophytosis.…”

Hedgehogs as a Potential Source of Zoonotic Pathogens—A Review and an Update of Knowledge

“…[12] Mycobacterium marinum [13] Salmonella Stanley [41] Salmonella tilene [10,40] Streptococcus dysgalactiae [16] Candida albicans [20,21] Microsporum spp. [17] Trihophyton erinacei [18,19,45] 2. Bacterial Zoonotic Pathogens 2.1.…”

“…Microsporum spp., in particular, M. canis and M. gypseum, are common agents with a worldwide spread that cause dermatophytosis in humans [90]. To date, Iacob and Iftinca [17] have described the only published case of African pygmy hedgehog acarosis induced by Caparinia tripilis with accompanying Microsporum spp. infection cultured from lesioned cutaneous tissues.…”

“…Leptospira ballum [9] Salmonella enterica [7] Salmonella tilene [10] Trichophyton erinacei [11] Corynebacterium sp [12] Mycobacterium marinum [13] Staphylococcus aureus [14] Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) [8,15] Streptococcus dysgalactiae [16] Microsporum spp. [17] Trichophyton erinacei [18,19] Candida albicans [20,21] Anaplasma phagocythophilum [3,22] Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato [3,23] Borrelia miyamotoi [24] Leptospira interrogans [25] Leptospira borgpetersenii [25] Mycobacterium avium subs.…”

A clinical retrospective study of Caparinia tripilis (Psoroptidae) mite dermatitis in pet African pygmy hedgehogs (Ateletrix albiventris) in southern Italy

“…Several studies have reported a relatively high occurrence of C. tripilis infestation in pet African pygmy hedgehogs in several regions of the world (e.g. Europe, America, Africa, Asia and Oceania) 10,11,6,4,12,13 . A prevalence rate ranging from 40% to 87% has been reported 9,12 .…”