Kitten with possible ringworm

RE: Kitten with possible ringworm

Judith Joyce — Mon, 06 Jul 2020 14:38:07 GMT

I would be reluctant to use Surolan because of the steroid content, and again, because it would almost certainly be ingested. ?unnecessarily polypharmacy for the case ,too

RE: Kitten with possible ringworm

Judith Joyce — Mon, 06 Jul 2020 07:12:04 GMT

I agree with David. The clinical picture is so typical that a rapid diagnosis to start therapy with itraconaole is ideal. A good quality Woods Lamp examination will be diagnostic in the vast majority of cases. The apple green fluorescence is clear and most mature veterinary practices will have a Woods Lamp hiding in a cupboard somewhere. Trichogram and culture is reassuring if positive, mandatory if inconclusive.,

Itrafungol has made the treatment of dermatophytosis so much safer and easier, Definitely need to be aware that topical treatments are nearly always also taken orally when applied anywhere on a cat but especially around the face. Definitely don't forget the zoonosis warning (carefully recorded), especially in case of children and immunosuppressed, but all in contacts, including the person holding this one for the photo! Perceived or concocted failure to inform seems to be an ever increasing cause of client disgruntlement.

Scratching my head for realistic differentials - ? demodicosis, ? scalding or chemical burn/ contact irritant as the lesions are so well circumscribed.

RE: Kitten with possible ringworm

Beats — Sun, 05 Jul 2020 19:28:45 GMT

I think it generally is self-resolving anyway (i.e. unless you treat with steroids or otherwise suppress the immunity on a healthy kitten then infection just goes away after 2 to 3 months itself anyway). So I probably wouldn't personally reculture at end of treatment assuming this kitten to now be a pet - if it's in a cattery situation and you are trying to control an on-going outbreak then that is a different matter altogether perhaps.

RE: Kitten with possible ringworm

Aida Navarro — Sun, 05 Jul 2020 18:03:15 GMT

Thanks everyone, we decided to go for Trichogram + Culture, and the 1st one was positive to ringworm so have started treatment with Itrafungol. Do you generally repeat the culture at the end of the treatment to check that you got rid of the infection?

RE: Kitten with possible ringworm

Aida Navarro — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 13:41:05 GMT

I've seen that Surolan (miconazole) treats Microsporum spp. Has anyone treated ringworm with it??

RE: Kitten with possible ringworm

Aida Navarro — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 10:12:14 GMT

Thanks kate, I agree although not sure if it's okay to use it so close to the mouth? As he may ingest some of it...

RE: Kitten with possible ringworm

Kate Richardson — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 09:18:33 GMT

Would topical canesten be a 'safer' option if not sure and waiting for fungal results?

RE: Kitten with possible ringworm

Beats — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 07:37:13 GMT

certainly looks like ringworm.

I was trying to think of a differential list, but not sure of other reasonable possibilities?

RE: Kitten with possible ringworm

David Bentley — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 21:17:26 GMT

Certainly looks like dermatophytosis. Woods lamp +ve (M.canis)? You could look at a trichogram in Lactophenol cotton blue looking for hyphae and arthrospores and you can culture plucked hairs/scrapings on DTM. ChroMyco Duo is a good culture medium because. as well as the DTM (turns red with dermatophytte make sure white fluffy growth as some saprophytes also can produce colour change ) it has enhanced sporulation agar which promotes production of Macroconidia so you can then take a sample from surface of colony with sellotape and place over a. drop of lactophenol cotton blue looking for these macroconidia and be sure of species. Most likely would be M. Canis in a cat though. Best to check with breeder in case there are reports of litter mates and dam affected (if they’re honest!).

Itrafungol works very effectively in these cases. Warn owners about possible zoonotic infection especially if they have children.

if you’ve got a Woods lamp and it’s positive with hairs lighting up like Blackpool iilluminations I would start treatment immediately, but ideally trichogram and culture for completeness.