Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Medicinal mushroom Agaricus brasiliensis may help dogs
By Motoi, Akitomo et al.·Published in International journal of medicinal mushrooms·2024·School of Pharmacy, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Effects of Outdoor-Grown Royal Sun Medicinal Mushroom Agaricus brasiliensis KA21 (Agaricomycetes) Fruiting Body on Canine Malassezia Dermatitis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Nine dogs with a fungal skin infection called Malassezia dermatitis were given a medicinal mushroom supplement called Agaricus brasiliensis (KA21) to see if it would help their symptoms. The dogs that took KA21 showed improved skin conditions and higher levels of certain antibodies that help fight off fungal infections. Interestingly, those on steroids had less improvement compared to those not on steroids, suggesting that KA21 might be more effective when steroids are reduced or stopped. Overall, the study indicates that KA21 could be a helpful addition to treatment for dogs with fungal skin issues.
People also search for: dog skin infection treatment · Malassezia dermatitis in dogs · medicinal mushrooms for dogs
Abstract
Brazil-grown outdoor-cultivated Agaricus brasiliensis KA21 fruiting body (KA21) significantly increases the production of serum anti-beta-glucan antibody. Therefore, KA21 ingestion may be useful for the prevention and alleviation of fungal infections. This study aimed to determine the effects of KA21 in fungal infections in animals. KA21 was administered to nine dogs infected with Malassezia. Notably, the anti-beta-glucan antibody titer remained unchanged or tended to decrease in the oral steroid arm, whereas in the non-steroid arm, antibody titer increased in almost all animals after KA21 ingestion. Dogs showing improved clinical symptoms exhibited increased anti-beta-glucan antibody titers. The results of this study suggest that KA21 ingestion may alleviate the symptoms of Malassezia and other fungal infections and that continuous ingestion may help prolong recurrence-free intervals. Additionally, the ingestion of KA21 during oral steroid dosage reduction or discontinuation may enable smoother steroid withdrawal.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38801085/