Veterinary Archives, Vol. 69 No. 5, 1999.
Original scientific paper
Epidemiological and clinical features of dermatophytoses in dogs and cats in Croatia between 1990 and 1998.
Ljiljana Pinter
; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Željka Jurak
; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Milena Ukalović
; Centre for Reproduction and Animal Breeding of Croatia, Zagreb Croatia
Velimir Sušić
; Department of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Dogs and cats with suspected skin disease referred to the Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, over a nine-year period were routinely screened for dermatophyte infections. A total of 5,191 animals (3,353 dogs and 1,838 cats) were examined, from which 1,263 cases of dermatophytoses were detected. The prevalence was found to be higher in cats (P<0.001) than dogs. The species most frequently isolated was Microsporum canis. Infection with Trichophyton mentagrophytes, M. gypseum and M. persicolor was comparatively rare. Infected animals were primarily crossbred dogs and cats, followed by miniature Doberman pinschers, collies, Dalmatians, dachshunds, terriers and boxers in dog, and Siamese and Persians in the cat population. Animals with dermatophyte infection were most often young male animals up to one year of age. The number of cats with clinically evident lesions was significantly higher (P<0.001) when compared to those with no lesion of suspected dermatophyte disease. However, in correlation to dogs there was a significantly higher proportion of irregular alopecia in cats (P<0.001). These results suggest that dermatophytosis, particularly M. canis, is now endemic in Croatia and that this situation is likely to persist. Dermatophytoses will continue to be encountered regularly in our clinical practice.
Keywords
dermatophytes; epidemiology; clinical features; dog; cat; Microsporum; Trichophyton; Croatia
Hrčak ID:
133793
URI
Publication date:
21.10.1999.
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