engleski

An overview of ringworm infections in pets and domestic animals in Croatia within a six-year period

Dermatophytes comprise primary zoophilic, geophilic, and sometime anthrophilic species of keratinophilic fungi that can cause ringworm infections in animals. In this retrospective study, data records for a six-year time period were reviewed (from January 2002 to December 2007). During that time, 1662 pets (dogs, cats, and rabbits), and 116 domestic animals (ruminants, swine, and horses) suffering from different cutaneous lesions suspect to ringworm infection, were addmitted and examined at the Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases with Clinic, at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia. Hair, scale and crust samples were collected using different techniques: tooth brushes, scotch tapes, or scrapings. In order to detect the presence of fungal arthroconidia, hair samples were directly examined under the microscope in lactophenol or 10% potassium hydroxide. In addition, samples were processed for seeding on Sabouraud dextrose actidione agar (BioRad) and incubated at 27˚ C within 3 weeks. Isolated dermatophytes were identified microscopically in lactophenol blue or red, and when neccessary subcultured on potato dextrose agar or polished rice grains to stimulate the growth of conidia. From 1778 cultured samples, dermatophytes were recovered from 458 samples (25.76%), and arthroconidia were found in 102 (22.27%) of positive samples. Overall Microsporum canis was most commonly identified dermatophyte (76.20%), while Trichophyton mentagrophytes, T. verrucosum and M. gypseum were isolated less frequently (12.45, 7.42 and 2.62% respectively). M. persicolor was found only in one case (0.22%). In five cases (1.09%), animals were infected with two species (M. canis and T. mentagrophytes). As expected, in most cases dogs and cats were affected by M. canis, cattles by T. verrucosum and rabbits by T. mentagrophytes.

ringworm infections; pets; domestic animals

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