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Objectives The goal of the present study was to compare the antifungal efficacy of an essential oil (EO) shampoo proven to be effective against Microsporum canis with miconazole/chlorhexidine for topical haircoat disinfection in cats treated concurrently with oral itraconazole. Methods Cats received treatment with oral itraconazole (Itrafungol) at a dose of 5 mg/kg/day pulse administration for 1 week, every 2 weeks for at least 6 weeks and were washed twice a week with a neutral shampoo with added EOs of Thymus serpyllum (2%), Origanum vulgare and Rosmarinus officinalis (5% each) for the period of systemic treatment. This protocol was compared with a conventional treatment (oral itraconazole + 2% miconazole/2% chlorhexidine shampoo). Results The treatment was well tolerated and adverse effects were not recorded. All cats were clinically negative at week 11. With respect to animals with extensive lesions, the speed of resolution was higher in cats with focal lesions. The animals showing diffuse lesions required more than a course of treatment to achieve a mycological cure. There was no significant difference between the number of weeks to obtain mycological cure for cats treated with EOs and animals treated conventionally. Conclusions and relevance The treatment appeared to be effective and well appreciated by the owners. The use of shampoo with the added EOs of T serpyllum, O vulgare and R officinalis would seem an interesting, natural alternative to conventional topical treatment.

The zoophilic dermatophyte Microsporum canis has cats as natural reservoir, but it is able to infect a wide range of hosts, including humans, where different clinical features of the so-called ringworm dermatophytosis have been described. Human infections are increasingly been reported in Mediterranean countries. A reliable control program against M. canis infection in cats should include an antifungal treatment of both the infected animals and their living environment. In this article, a herbal mixture composed of chemically defined essential oils (EOs) of Litsea cubeba (1%), Illicium verum, Foeniculum vulgare, and Pelargonium graveolens (0.5% each) was formulated and its antifungal activity assessed against M. canis arthrospores which represent the infective environmental stage of M. canis. Single compounds present in higher amounts in the mixture were also separately tested in vitro. Litsea cubeba and P. graveolens EOs were most effective (minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) 0.5%), followed by EOs of I. verum (MIC 2%) and F. vulgare (MIC 2.5%). Minimum fungicidal concentrations (MFC) values were 0.75% (L. cubeba), 1.5% (P. graveolens), 2.5% (I. verum) and 3% (F. vulgare). MIC and MFC values of the mixture were 0.25% and 0.5%, respectively. The daily spray of the mixture (200 μL) directly onto infected hairs inhibited fungal growth from the fourth day onwards. The compounds present in higher amounts exhibited variable antimycotic activity, with MIC values ranging from >10% (limonene) to 0.1% (geranial and neral). Thus, the mixture showed a good antifungal activity against arthrospores present in infected hairs. These results are promising for a further application of the mixture as an alternative tool or as an adjuvant in the environmental control of feline microsporosis.

The in vitro activity of itraconazole against Microsporum canis was evaluated with 38 feline isolates. Based on the observed minimum inhibitory concentrations it can be concluded that the drug could be effective in the therapy of cats affected by M. canis ringworm.

To evaluate the presence of keratinophilic fungi in the environment, 400 samples were collected from the floors of 50 private veterinary clinics using 55-mm-diameter 'contact plates', containing mycobiotic agar. After incubation for 15 days at 25 degrees C, the following species were isolated: Microsporum canis, Trichophyton terrestre, Chrysosporium keratinophilum, Chrysosporium sp., Microsporum gypseum, Trichophyton ajelloi, Chrysosporium tropicum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Chrysosporium state of Arthroderma tuberculatum and Chrysosporium pannorum. It is concluded that the keratinic material shed by infected pets may contribute to the development and propagation of dermatophytes and related fungi in veterinary clinics. Therefore, such veterinary clinics may represent sites where pets and humans are exposed to risk of infection with keratinophilic fungi from the environment.

The enzymatic activity of 70 feline and canine Microsporum canis isolates was determined by the Api-Zym test. The liquid phase of cultures, inoculated into Tryptic Soy Broth, was used to examine 19 enzymes. Considerable differences were observed among the extracellular enzymatic patterns. All the isolates produced alkaline phosphatase and beta-glucosidase, while lipase (C14), trypsin, chymotrypsin, beta-glucuronidase, and alpha-fucosidase activity was never revealed. Esterase (C4) activity was present in 57 samples (81%), esterase lipase (C8) in 31 (44%), leucine arylamidase in 35 (50%), valine arylamidase and cystine arylamidase in 7 (10%), acid phosphatase in 64 (91%), naphthol-AS-BI-phosphohydrolase in 60 (86%), alpha-galactosidase in 5 (7%), beta-galactosidase in 6 (8%), alpha-glucosidase in 25 (36%), N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase in 41 (58%), and alpha-mannosidase in 51 (73%). The beta-galactosidase activity of M. canis has not been reported previously. Remarkable variations of intensity for each enzymatic activity were also detected. It is believed that these results could provide basic data for further investigations on the pathogenic role of enzymes secreted by M. canis.

One hundred thirty-four isolates of Microsporum canis, obtained from cats, were tested for in vitro susceptibility to various antifungal agents. The fungi were classified as susceptible, resistant, and intermediate by measuring the size of the zone of inhibited growth on yeast nitrogen base agar medium. Clotrimazole had the highest activity (99.2%), followed by tioconazole (89.6%), griseofulvin (88.8%), econazole (73.1%), ketoconazole (50.7%), miconazole (15.7%), and isoconazole (12.7%). We found 14.9% of the isolates to be susceptible to all the assayed drugs, whereas the highest resistance frequency (41.8%) was against 2 antimycotics. A simultaneous resistance to all the tested antimycotics was not found. The differences among the antifungal drugs activity were examined, and administration of drugs for which a simultaneous resistance was minimal is suggested.