DERMATOPHYTOSIS CAUSED BY Trichophyton verrucosum IN A THREE MONTH OLD CALF IN SHENDAM, PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA

A three-month-old calf was seen to have skin lesions involving the head and neck especially around the eyes. The lesions were circular, circumscribed, crusty, grayish-white and perceptibly raised above the skin. Skin scrapings and hair pullouts were aseptically collected and processed for mycology. Direct examination of hair in 20% KOH showed chains of ectothrix spores. Microscopic examination of the iso- late stained with lactophenol cotton blue revealed septate hyphae with numerous clavate microconidia borne laterally from the hyphae and a single longish, thick, smooth- walled, and multi-septated macroconidia with characteristic rat tail (string bean shaped) suggestive of T. verru- cosum. There was no growth on casein vitamin free agar but good growth was observed on medium containing thiamine and inositol. Infor- mation on bovine dermatophytosis from Nigeria is scanty. This finding is significant as it indicates that bovine dermatophytosis may be present in an economically important proportion among cattle especially young animals in Nigeria. The need to carry out more studies on the disease among the cattle population in the country with a view to instituting prevention and control measures was emphasized.