Incidence, immunity and treatment of feline dermatophytosis

Feline dermatophytosis is a superficial skin infection characterized by the invasion of cornified tissues such as hair and nails.This infection is nearly always caused by Microsporum canis. Infected animals release infective spores in the environment which will then contaminate other animals or humans. Infected animals usually develop immunity so the infection will spontaneously disappear after a few weeks to months. Long haired and immunocom-promised cats do not have the same ability to acquire resistance and spontaneous recovery does usually not occur. The treatment of such an infection will require topical and systemic treatment of all contaminated and in-contact cats. The use of desinfectants such as bleach or enilconazole has been proven effective to destroy the spores in the environment. In addition, the efficacy of topical and systemic treatments with azole derivates or allylamines has also been demonstrated in several studies. On the contrary, dermatophyte vaccination has never been proven effective in well controlled studies. Regular follow-up and fungal cultures are mandatory to ensure succesfull treatment.