Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Treating shelter cats with itraconazole and antifungal rinses
By Newbury, Sandra et al.·Published in Veterinary dermatology·2011·Dane County Humane Society, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Use of itraconazole and either lime sulphur or Malaseb Concentrate Rinse ® to treat shelter cats naturally infected with Microsporum canis: an open field trial.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Ninety shelter cats with severe skin infections caused by a fungus called Microsporum canis were treated with oral itraconazole and one of three different antifungal rinses. The cats were monitored weekly, and if they still showed signs of infection after 42 days, they received additional treatment. The cats treated with lime sulphur rinses had the quickest recovery, with most showing improvement in about 30 days, while those treated with other rinses took longer. Overall, the lime sulphur rinse was the most effective option for helping these cats recover from their skin infections.
People also search for: cat skin infection treatment · Microsporum canis in cats · itraconazole for cat fungus
Abstract
In an open non-randomized study, 90 cats with severe dermatophytosis were treated with 21 days of oral itraconazole at 10 mg/kg and one of three topical antifungal rinses applied twice weekly: lime sulphur (LSO); reformulated lime sulphur with an odour-masking agent (LSR); or a 0.2% miconazole nitrate and 0.2% chlorhexidine gluconate rinse (MC). Weekly examinations and fungal cultures were used to monitor the cats' response to therapy. If at day 42 of treatment cats were still strongly fungal culture positive and/or developing new lesions, they were retreated with oral itraconazole and LSO. Cats were not prevented from licking the solutions and none developed oral ulcerations. Thirty-one cats were treated with LSO, 27 with LSR and 32 with MC. The median number of days to cure was 30 (range 10-69 days) and 34 (range 23-80 days) for LSO and LSR, respectively. Thirty-two cats were treated with MC, and 13 of 32 cats required repeat treatment because of persistent culture-positive status and development of new lesions. Median number of days of treatment for the 19 cats that cured with MC was 48 (range 14-93 days). When the number of days to cure was compared between the groups, there was a significant difference between cats treated with LSO and LSR (P=0.029) and cats treated with LSO and MC (P=0.031), but no significant difference between the number of days to cure for cats treated with LSR and MC (P=0.91).
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20604908/