An Investigation Of Dermatophytes On Hair Of Dog And Cat In Beijing

Dermatophytosis is a common infectious disease in dogs and cats, and it can be infected each other within pets or between pets and human beings. This test was aimed to investigate the species, quantity and endemic characteristics of dermatophyte on hair of pets in Beijing. The result will provide clinicians the basis for diagnosing and managing the disease. Furthermore, it is also of hygienic importance.A total of 770 hair samples from 78 dogs and 32 cats were cultivated to isolate fungus on Sabouraud Medium and Dermatophyte Test Medium from January 2002 to March 2003 in veterinary teaching hospital of China Agricultural University. All hair samples were collected from seven points of the pets: the right carpus , the lateral corner of right eye, the external canal of right ear , the dorsal of right ear base, dorsal, ventral and caudal. Potato Dextrose Agar and Grain Medium were also used to identify fungi which were not determined by the primary culture. Fungi were all secondarily cultured on Sabouraud Medium to observe the colony's texture , colour, growth rate, surface status and reverse pigment. The fungi should be examined by microscope to inspect their microscopic structure from 7th day to 21st day. Finally, identification was made according to colony morphology and microscopic structure.The result indicated that the carrier rate of dermatophyte on hair of dog in Beijing was very low (2.78% 1/36), but that of cat was higher (9.4% 3/32). The distribute pattern of saprophytes on hairs was: highest inside the ear , next the right carpus , the lateral corner of right eye , the dorsal of ear base , dorsal , caudal and lowest on the ventral .The mam saprophytes on hair of dogs were: Penicillium 30.69% , Alternaria 12.64%, Aspergillus 6.14%, Mucor 5.42%, Cladosporum 4.69%, Candida 20.94%, and 9.39% fungi could not be identified out. Besides, 67 bacteria were also isolated.Other pathogenic dermatomyces were also isolated from pets, they were Malassezia (Pityrosporum) furfur, Piedraia hortae, Blastomyces dermatitidis, Coccidioides immitis, Paracoccidioides brasiliensis , Scopularis brevicaulis and two species of bacteria : Proteus and Aeromonas hydrophila . This suggests that pets in Beijing may have been infected by them cutaneously or systemically.