Use of itraconazole and either lime sulphur or Malaseb Concentrate Rinse^® to treat shelter cats naturally infected with Microsporum canis: an open field trial

Abstract

In an open non-randomized study, 90 cats with severe dermatophytosis were treated with 21 days of oral itraconazole at 10 mg/kg and one of three topical antifungal rinses applied twice weekly: lime sulphur (LSO); reformulated lime sulphur with an odour-masking agent (LSR); or a 0.2% miconazole nitrate and 0.2% chlorhexidine gluconate rinse (MC). Weekly examinations and fungal cultures were used to monitor the cats' response to therapy. If at day 42 of treatment cats were still strongly fungal culture positive and/or developing new lesions, they were retreated with oral itraconazole and LSO. Cats were not prevented from licking the solutions and none developed oral ulcerations. Thirty-one cats were treated with LSO, 27 with LSR and 32 with MC. The median number of days to cure was 30 (range 10-69 days) and 34 (range 23-80 days) for LSO and LSR, respectively. Thirty-two cats were treated with MC, and 13 of 32 cats required repeat treatment because of persistent culture-positive status and development of new lesions. Median number of days of treatment for the 19 cats that cured with MC was 48 (range 14-93 days). When the number of days to cure was compared between the groups, there was a significant difference between cats treated with LSO and LSR (P=0.029) and cats treated with LSO and MC (P=0.031), but no significant difference between the number of days to cure for cats treated with LSR and MC (P=0.91).

Use of a commercial qPCR assay in 52 high risk shelter cats for disease identification of dermatophytosis and mycological cure

“…Toothbrush fungal culture specimen samples containing hairs and skin scales were collected from cats deemed high risk for feline dermatophytosis and admitted to a dermatophyte treatment facility between August 2014 and March 2015. This facility's intake and treatment programme have been described previously . High risk cats were defined as any cat with skin lesions not otherwise attributed to an obvious cause, such as scar, injury or bite.…”

“…One toothbrush was used for immediate fungal culture and one was unopened and stored for qPCR testing within six months of collection. Cats were treated with oral itraconazole and topical lime sulfur rinses as described previously . Mycological cure was defined as two consecutive negative weekly fungal cultures.…”

“…This facility's intake and treatment programme have been described previously. 7,8 High risk cats were defined as any cat with skin lesions not otherwise attributed to an obvious cause, such as scar, injury or bite. Intake protocol included a physical examination, dermatological examination, Wood's lamp examination and collection of two toothbrush fungal cultures each wrapped individually in plastic bags from suspect skin lesions.…”

“…Cats were treated with oral itraconazole and topical lime sulfur rinses as described previously. 7,8 Mycological cure was defined as two consecutive negative weekly fungal cultures.…”

Diagnosis and treatment of dermatophytosis in dogs and cats.

“…Fifty seven studies involving either spontaneous ( n = 42) or experimental ( n = 15) M. canis infections in cats and dogs ( n = 2,027) were identified and of these, 30 described Wood's lamp findings . When data were pooled from studies describing the first examination of animals with spontaneous disease, 72% (378 of 523) of animals were Wood's lamp positive .…”