We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Use of lime sulphur and itraconazole to treat shelter cats naturally infected with Microsporum canis in an annex facility: an open field trial.
- Authors
Newbury, Sandra; Moriello, Karen; Verbrugge, Maria; Thomas, Chet
- Abstract
Dermatophytosis is the most common contagious and infectious skin disease of cats. It is of particular importance in animal shelters because it is a known zoonosis, highly contagious, and easily transmitted. In this open clinical trial, 58 cats with confirmed Microsporum canis dermatophytosis and 32 uninfected bonded pairs or littermates were treated with a combination of 21 days of oral itraconazole (10 mg kg−1) and twice weekly lime sulphur rinses until cured. Cats were not clipped in this treatment programme. Fungal cultures were obtained once weekly on all cats, and cats were considered cured when they had two consecutive negative weekly fungal cultures. Cats were held in the facility and received continued topical treatment until the fungal cultures were finalized. None of the cats developed oral ulcerations as a result of grooming the lime sulphur rinses. Oral ulcerations only developed in cats with clinical signs associated with upper respiratory disease. None of the uninfected cats living in contact with infected cats became culture positive or developed skin lesions. When data were examined retrospectively and the number of days to finalize the cultures was subtracted (21 days) from the total number of days the cats were housed in the annex, the mean number of days of treatment required for cure was 18.4 ± 9.5 SEM (range 10–49 days). Cats with more severe infections required longer therapy. In this shelter, the combination of oral itraconazole and topical lime sulphur rinses for the treatment of dermatophytosis was effective and safe.
- Subjects
DERMATOPHYTES; SKIN diseases; MICROSPORUM; LIME (Minerals); SULFUR; ANTIFUNGAL agents; DRUG efficacy; CATS as laboratory animals
- Publication
Veterinary Dermatology, 2007, Vol 18, Issue 5, p324
- ISSN
0959-4493
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/j.1365-3164.2007.00618.x