Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How common are yeast and skin fungi in healthy and sick dogs
By Prado, Marilena R et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc·2008·Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Frequency of yeasts and dermatophytes from healthy and diseased dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that a significant number of dogs with skin issues, ear infections, or eye problems had fungal infections. In particular, the yeast Malassezia pachydermatis was commonly found in dogs with ear infections, while Microsporum canis was frequently isolated from dogs with skin infections. The researchers noted that fungal cultures were more reliable for diagnosing these infections than just looking at samples under a microscope. This means that if your dog has skin or ear problems, your vet might recommend a fungal culture to identify the exact cause and determine the best treatment.
People also search for: dog ear infection yeast treatment · dog skin problems fungus · why is my dog itching and scratching
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of dermatophytes and yeasts in healthy and diseased dogs. A total of 633 samples were collected from 26 healthy animals (104 samples), 131 with dermatitis (343 samples), 74 with otitis (148 samples), and 19 with ocular diseases (38 samples). Cultures from healthy animals were positive for Malassezia pachydermatis in 13.5% (7/52) of samples from skin, 42.3% (11/26) from ear, and 3.8% (1/26) from eye. Fungal growth was observed in 20.4% (70/343) samples from animals with dermatitis. Microsporum canis was the most isolated fungus (n = 39), followed by M. pachydermatis (n = 30) and Malassezia sp. (n = 3). Of the 148 samples from dogs with otitis, 90 (60.8%) were positive for M. pachydermatis, and of the clinical specimens from the conjunctiva of animals with ophthalmic disease, 2.6% (1/38) presented positive cultures for M. pachydermatis. Only 14.3% (2/14) of the positive cultures for M. pachydermatis and 40.9% (9/22) of those for M. canis were positive in the direct exam. Direct exams were positive in 84.3% (70/83) of the culture positive samples from affected ears of dogs with otitis. Malassezia pachydermatis may act as an aggravating factor in the occurrence of cutaneous diseases, or the isolation of M. canis may be associated with the onset of dermatophytosis. Fungal culture, rather than microscopic examination, should be used as the definitive diagnostic test for dermatomycoses and otitis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18319432/