Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Reconstructed interfollicular feline epidermis as a model for the screening of antifungal drugs against Microsporum canis.
- Journal:
- Veterinary dermatology
- Year:
- 2008
- Authors:
- Tabart, Jeremy et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases
Plain-English summary
Researchers have developed a new lab model that mimics the skin of cats to test antifungal medications against a fungus called Microsporum canis, which can cause skin infections in pets. They found that a medication called miconazole was effective at stopping the fungus from growing when used at a certain concentration. In their tests, when they applied miconazole at levels of 0.3 micrograms per milliliter or higher, there was no sign of fungal growth on the skin model. This study suggests that this new skin model could be useful for testing treatments for M. canis and possibly other skin infections in cats.
Abstract
A fully differentiated reconstructed interfollicular feline epidermis (RFE) was recently developed in vitro. It was shown to be relevant for the study of Microsporum canis-epidermal interactions. In this study, RFE was evaluated as a potential model for the in vitro screening of drugs against M. canis. As a preliminary step, the minimum inhibitory concentration of miconazole nitrate against M. canis IHEM 21239 grown on Sabouraud's dextrose agar was determined to be 0.3 microg mL(-1). RFE grown at the air-liquid interface was cultured for 24 h in RFE culture medium, supplemented with either miconazole (range 0.1-1 microg mL(-1)) or its solvent (dimethylsulfoxide). Then, RFE was inoculated in triplicate with 1 x 10(5 )M. canis arthroconidia and incubated for five additional days. To evaluate fungal growth, RFE was processed for routine histopathology, three serial sections being performed across the block at 100 microm intervals. No fungal growth was detected invading or on the surface of infected RFE in the presence of miconazole concentrations equal to or higher than 0.3 microg mL (final concentration in the culture medium). This study demonstrates that RFE is an adequate model for the in vitro screening of drugs against M. canis and potentially against other skin pathogens.
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: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18477328/