Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Does oral lufenuron prevent ringworm infection in cats?
By Moriello, Karen A et al.·Published in Veterinary dermatology·2004·Department of Medical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Efficacy of pre-treatment with lufenuron for the prevention of Microsporum canis infection in a feline direct topical challenge model.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of juvenile cats was given oral lufenuron, a medication often used for skin infections, to see if it could prevent them from getting a fungal infection called dermatophytosis (caused by Microsporum canis) after being exposed to the spores. Unfortunately, all the cats became infected regardless of whether they received the medication or a placebo, and there was no difference in how quickly they recovered. This means that lufenuron, at the doses used in this study, did not help prevent or speed up recovery from this type of infection in cats.
People also search for: cat skin infection treatment · lufenuron for cat fungal infection · Microsporum canis in kittens
Abstract
Oral lufenuron is reportedly an effective treatment for some cats with dermatophytosis. The purpose of this study was to determine if lufenuron, when used as a pre-treatment prior to challenge exposure, would be protective against the development of infection after the direct topical application of fungal macrocondia (Microsporum canis spores). Three groups (n = 6/group) of juvenile cats were treated with either monthly oral lufenuron (30 or 133 mg/kg) or placebo. After 2 months of treatment, kittens were challenged using 10(5)Microsporum canis spores applied to the skin under occlusion. Cats were examined weekly and the following data collected: Wood's lamp examination; scoring for scale/crust, erythema and induration; lesion size; and the development of satellite lesions. Fungal cultures were performed bi-weekly. All cats became infected; the infections progressed, and then regressed, in a similar fashion in all groups. There were no consistent statistically significant differences in weekly infection scores between treated and untreated cats throughout the study. Treated cats did not recover faster than untreated cats. We conclude that oral lufenuron at the dosing schedule and conditions used in this study did not prevent dermatophytosis or alter the course of infection by direct topical challenge.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15585010/