Isolation Rates of Dermatophytes and Fungi from Dogs and Cats in an Animal Shelter in Daegu

Park, Jeong Young; Shin, Dong Hoon; Choi, Jong Soo; Kim, Ki Hong

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Dogs and cats are most friendly animals and contact frequently as pets with humans. It is for human possible to be transmitted from infected or contaminated animals.
OBJECTIVE
This study was performed to identify fungi including dermatophytes and non-dermatophytic molds (NDM), Malassezia spp., and Candida spp. from the dogs and cats in an animal shelter.
METHODS
We visit an animal shelter in Daegu at July 2011, examined 82 animals including 75 dogs with healthy skin, 4 skin diseased dogs, and 3 cats with healthy skin. Specimens were collected from skin lesions or normal skin by Mackenzie's brush technique and inoculated directly on Sabouraud dextrose agar and Leeming and Notman agar. They were identified by the morphological characteristics and rRNA sequencing.
RESULTS
Of the 82 samples examined, 14 (17.1%) yielded positive dermatophyte cultures and, in particular, 0% of the 4 diseased dog samples, 14.7% of the healthy dog samples, and 100% of the healthy cat samples. All isolated dermatophytes from the dogs and cats were identified as M. gypseum. Outdoor dogs (23.8%) showed higher prevalence of M. gypseum than indoor dogs (2.7%). Isolation rate of M. gypseum from soil showed different rate as distance from animal cage, including near (40%), 5 m (20%) and 100 m (0%).
CONCLUSION
Interesting result of this study showing the higher isolation rate of M. gypseum in outdoor dogs than indoor dogs suggests the transmission of M. gypseum from soils to animals, and also, possible transmission to human through animals.