Cross-Sectional Study on Dermatological Affections of Companion Animals Caused by Dermatophytes and other Keratinophilic Fungi in Greater Cairo Area, Egypt

The colonization of fungal organisms on different parts of the integumentary system of a wide range of animal species is very common as a part of normal dermal mycobiota or through infection. Primary fungal colonization is mainly caused by different dermatophytes, while secondary fungal colonization is caused mostly by non-dermatophyte keratinophilic fungi and was found to be associated with particular host immune system-related disorders. The present cross-sectional study has been designed to determine the diversity of fungal species that are associated with different dermatological affections in companion animals, including dogs, cats, parrots, horses, guinea pigs, rabbits, rats, donkeys, cows, and goats. The study was conducted through a year ( June/2019 - June/2020) on 600 skin samples (nail, hair, scales, and skin scraps) collected from companion animals all over the Greater Cairo Area (GCA), Egypt. A wide range of fungal species have been recovered, and out of the 600 samples, 85 positive fungal cultures have been identified (14.16%). The isolated fungal species included 30 dermatophyte species (24 Microsporum canis, 2 Microsporum gypseum, 1 Trichophyton equinum, 2 Trichophyton mentagrophytes, and 1 Trichophyton verrucosum), 10 isolates of Malassezia pachydermates, 33 Candida species (11 Candida albicans, 21 Candida tropicalis, and 1 Candida glabrata), 1 Alternaria alternata, 4 Penicillium species, 5 Aspergillus niger, 1 Fusarium chlamydosporum, and 1 Fusarium oxysporum. Unfortunately, most of the fungal species that have been recovered from the companion animals in the present study zoonotic and constitute a human public health hazard.