Successful Management of Dermatophytosis in a Desi Short Hair Domestic Kitten

Introduction: Dermatophytosis is an uncommon fungal infection of hair and skin in the claw. The infection is caused by the invasion of the hair shaft and stratum corneum by Keratophilic fungi. Fungal skin problems in pet animals commonly occur in hot and humid climatic regions. Cats suffer from superficial dermatophytosis despite their licking and self-cleansing behavior. Case report: A two-month-old female desi-short hair domestic kitten weighing 1.2 kg body weight was presented to Veterinary Clinical Complex, Kurumbapet, India, with a history of crusty patchy alopecic lesions on the rump and paw of the right forelimb for the past week in July 2022. The owner also reported generalized hair loss and scratching. Clinical examination revealed patchy circular dry lesions on the rump and the paw of the right forelimb. No abnormality was detected in the general appearance of the kitten. Behavioral habit was active, appetite and voiding habits were normal, popliteal lymph nodes were palpable, heart rate was 170 beats/minute, respiratory rate was 22 breaths/minute,  rectal temperature was 101.8℉, and the conjunctival mucous membrane was pink. The pinna-pedal reflex was negative. Direct microscopy of the skin scraping sample revealed highly positive endothrix spores in the hair shaft. The smear prepared from the culture of the scrapings was stained with Lactophenol Cotton Blue, which confirmed the growth of ligamentous hyphae and mycelium of the dermatophyte,  Microsporum spp. Hence, the case was diagnosed with superficial dermatophytosis caused by Microsporum spp. The kitten was successfully treated with itraconazole syrup (Felintra, Savavet, India) administered at the dosage of 5 mg/kg oral for 2 alternative weeks (every 24 hours for 7 days). Moreover, Cetirizine tablet as a non-sedating medicine and antihistamine which acts selectively on H1-receptor was given orally at the dosage of 2.5 mg/cat for the next 5 days, and liver supportive (Liv.52 syrup which contains herbal extracts) was administered orally at the dosage of 0.5 ml daily to overcome the hepatotoxic effect of anti-fungal drugs. Complete recovery was noticed by the third week of treatment which was the second week of the itraconazole syrup (Felintra, Savavet, India) treatment. Conclusion: Dermatophytosis in a kitten was diagnosed early and treated promptly with a proper treatment schedule with itraconazole without any untoward effects on the kitten.