Epidemiologic and Molecular Characterization of Zoonotic Dermatophytes from Pet Dogs and Cats in Egypt

Abstract

Dermatophytosis is a zoonotic worldwide public health issue caused by pathogenic fungi called dermatophytes, belonging to three genera; Microsporum (M), Trichophyton (T), and Epidermophyton (E). Such disease is transmitted to man through contact with the infected animals. This study investigated the prevalence of dermatophytes in pet dogs and cats, besides humans in Cairo, Giza, and Beni-Suef governorates, Egypt. Skin scrapings were taken from 245 pet dogs, 180 cats, and 60 humans. A direct microscopy, fungal culture, and molecular analysis were carried out. The results revealed that the prevalence of dermatophytes was 20.4, 16.1, and 31.6% in dogs, cats, and humans, respectively. M. canis was the most frequent isolated from dogs (10.2%) followed by T. mentagrophytes (6.1%) and T. verrucosum (4.0%). whereas the unique dermatophyte found in cats was M. canis (8.3%). The study revealed that outdoor housed animals showed higher rates of infection than indoor breeds. Concerning age, puppies showed higher susceptibility (50.0%) than juvenile and adult dogs. In relation to, allergic dermatitis, it was found that the diseased dogs and cats showed higher isolation rates than apparently healthy ones. Shifting to human cutaneous infections, the findings denoted that M. canis was the highest zoonotic potential (20.0%) whereas T. verrucosum was not determined in the screened samples. Furthermore, people aged (11-30) years, as well as pet workers, were the most infected groups. Surprisingly, 80.0% of the individuals who suffered from dermal infections and/or alopecia were cult positive for dermatophytes. PCR amplification of dermatophyte using CHS1 primers yielded a fragment of about 440 bp while with ITS1 primer yielded a 700 bp, the isolated M. canis was subjected for sequencing analyses and deposited in the gene bank. It was concluded that the occurrence of dermatophytes in dogs and cats along with high the prevalence of M. canis in humans suggesting the potentiality of zoonotic spread.

First study on molecular epidemiology of dermatophytosis in cats, dogs, and their companions in the Kurdistan region of Iraq

“…In contrast, the prevalence of dermatophytes was higher among outdoor dogs or dogs reared in shelters than in household dogs; however, the difference was not statistically significant. Such obtained data are in line with those reported by Ibrahim et al [5], Yamada et al [28]. Unsanitary conditions and fungal spore cross-contamination between b a Available at www.veterinaryworld.org/Vol.15/December-2022/28.pdf healthy animals and infected ones confirm the natural route of dermatophyte infections, particularly M. canis infections [19].…”

“…Microsporum canis , a zoophilic dermatophyte, is a major cause of dermatophyte infections in humans and animals [ 4 , 14 ]. Trichophyton mentagrophytes was isolated at lower rates and only from cats and dogs; however, studies isolated the fungus from humans who had direct contact with infected cats and dogs [ 5 , 17 ]. High rates of dermatophytosis were also reported earlier by other studies; for instance, 55.5% in cats in Kolkata, India [ 18 ], 62.42% in dogs in Baghdad, Iraq [ 19 ], 52.2% in humans in Tripoli, Libya [ 20 ], and 44.1% in humans in Turkey [ 21 ].…”

“…Different diagnostic techniques and methods rely on the diagnosis and identification of the causative agents of dermatophytosis. Hitherto, the diagnosis was based on clinical signs, which are unreliable due to the variable nature of the dermatological findings and the similarity of other skin diseases that mimic the characteristic dermatophyte lesions [ 5 ]. Direct microscopic examination and the isolation of the dermatophytes on mycobiotic agars are considered the conventional gold standard diagnostic techniques; however, further post-culturing identification through biochemical tests or microculture could be required.…”

“…Direct microscopic examination and the isolation of the dermatophytes on mycobiotic agars are considered the conventional gold standard diagnostic techniques; however, further post-culturing identification through biochemical tests or microculture could be required. Dermatophyte culture-based identification is laborious, time-consuming, and has poor sensitivity [ 6 ], while more rapid, accurate, reliable, sensitive, and specific diagnostic tools such as molecular diagnostic methods provide simple and precise tools for dermatophyte species characterization and phylogenetic analysis [ 5 ]. This study relied on molecular diagnostics for the identification and characterization of isolated dermatophyte species, and to the best of our knowledge, no study has been conducted so far to determine the prevalence of dermatophytosis among cats, dogs, and their companions in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.…”

Descriptive epidemiology of dermatophytosis in rodents

“…As a result, these exotic pets could be reservoirs of infection for humans and animals (Debnath et al., 2016 ; Kazemi‐Moghaddam et al., 2019 ; Papini et al., 2008 ). While dermatophytosis has been extensively studied in many animal species, including dogs and cats (Hernandez‐Bures et al., 2021 ; Ibrahim et al., 2021 ), information on their occurrence and epidemiology in rodents is limited. However, the industrialization of rabbit breeding in some countries has led to an increase in the incidence of dermatophytosis in these animals (Mishra et al., 2022 ).…”