LUCRRI TIINIFICE MEDICIN VETERINAR VOL.

XLIII (1), 2010 TIMIOARA

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL ASPECTS IN HUMAN AND CAT

MICROSPORIA
NARCISA MEDERLE, GH. DRBU, S. MORARIU, I. OPRESCU, D. INDRE, A.
BALINT
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Timisoara, 300645, Calea Aradului No. 119,
Timisoara, Romania
E-mail: narcisa.mederle@yahoo.com
Summary
Microsporum canis is a fungus also known as a dermatophytosis that causes
dermatophytosis in dogs, cats and human. Asymptomatic M. canis carriers are considered to
be a critical factor in the epidemiology of dermatophytosis in humans. This study was
performed at the Parasitical Department of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Timisoara.
Cases of Mycology Clinic were involved in this study: 24 cats (5M/19F, 1 mounth/2 years
aged). Group I: 16 cats with dermatophytosis and group II: 8 cats without dermatophytosis.
Medical exams were: anamnesis, clinical examination and dermatological exam.
Microsporum canis was isolated from 100% cats diagnosed with dermatophytosis (group I)
and 3,7% cats without dermatophytosis (group II). Seven owners were infested by M. canis
from group I (4,3%). They present a skin lesions. The owners from group II had no signs of
the disease. They were not infested by M. canis. These results clearly indicate that cats
should be considered as a major source of pathogenic dermatophytes for humans even
when they do not present clinical signs of dermatophytosis.
Key words: Microsporum canis, epidemiology, cat, human

Microsporum canis is a fungus also known as a dermatophytosis that

causes dermatophytosis in dogs and cats. They are commonly found in humid,
warm climates. Although felines are its natural reservoir it can cause ringworm in
humans (8).
Microsporum canis has been frequently isolated from human cases of tinea
capitis and tinea corporis. The infection may be acquired from infected animals with
cutaneous lesions but also from asymptomatic carriers or from the environment.
Asymptomatic M. canis carriers are considered to be a critical factor in the
epidemiology of dermatophytosis in humans (8).
This study investigated the relationship between the presence of
dermatophytes on the hair coats of cats with or without cutaneous lesions and the
occurrence of the disease in their respective owners.
Materials and methods
This study was performed at the Parasitical Department of the Faculty of
Veterinary Medicine of Timisoara. Cases of Mycology Clinic were involved in this
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study: 24 cats (5M/19F, 1 mounth/2 years aged). Group I: 16 cats with

dermatophytosis and group II: 8 cats without dermatophytosis. Medical exams
were: anamnesis, clinical examination and dermatological exam. Anamnesis, the
first stage of the diagnosis, facilitates the formulation of hypotheses before the
clinical examination, taking into consideration epidemiologic factors (race, sex,
age), the conditions of disease installation, way of life and the microclimate of the
animal, previous treatment, potential risk factors, the contact with other animals
and human. The dermatological exam was realized by skin scrapings and DTM
culture. The samples were clarified in lactofenol and microscopically examined.
Results and discussions
Microsporum canis was isolated from 100% cats diagnosed with
dermatophytosis (group I) and 3,7% cats without dermatophytosis (group II) (fig. 1).
Seven owners were infested by M. canis from group I (4,3%)). They present a skin
lesions (fig. 1). The owners from group II had no signs of the disease. They were
not infested by M. canis.

A
Fig. 1. Skin lesions
A. In human, B. In cat

Microsporum canis was isolated from 36.4% of dogs cohabiting with

owners diagnosed with tinea corporis but it was never isolated from dogs whose
owners had no lesions. By contrast, M. canis was isolated from 53.6% of cats
cohabiting with owners diagnosed with tinea corporis and from 14.6% of cats
whose owners had no signs of the disease (2).
In the Pacific coastal USA the overall prevalence of dermatophytosis was
5.5% (11 of 200 cats), with Microsporum canis isolated in 90.9% (10 of 11) of the
samples from positive cats. Ten of 11 of the cats were lesion free but they were
infested by M. canis (1).
Mignon and Losson, 1997 (7) performed a study to determine the
prevalence the carriage of Microsporum canis in cats, different mycological
examinations were performed on 632 animals of different origins. Group 1
comprised 467 healthy pet cats belonging to veterinary students. In this group,
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prevalence of carriage was 21%: eight cats were asymptomatic transient carriers
and one cat was an asymptomatic infected animal presenting discrete Wood'spositive lesions disseminated on the whole body that were visible after sedation
and clipping. The carriage prevalence was higher (157%) in group 2 comprising
134 European cats destroyed in a pound and kept together (7).
The study about epidemiology and clinical features of dermatophytosis in
cats at Louisiana State University (5) emphasised 14.9% dermatophytosis
prevalence. M. canis was the most common species isolated.
Jazic et al. (4) indicate 4% dermatophytosis prevalence in cats.
In an epidemiological inquiry on 24 cats the most frequent dermatophytosis
was microsporia. The roumanian authors (3, 6) indicate M. canis that the most
common species isolated.
Conclusions
These results clearly indicate that cats should be considered as a major
source of pathogenic dermatophytes for humans even when they do not present
clinical signs of dermatophytosis.
References
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