Abstract

Background:
Dermatophytes are fungi that invade keratinized tissues, causing superficial skin lesions in both animals and humans. Although Microsporum canis (M. canis) is the most frequent dermatophyte in companion animals, and cats are considered carriers and disseminators, few reports have determined its prevalence and antifungal susceptibility in healthy cats, which could represent a public health problem.

Aim:
This study aimed to determine the prevalence and antifungal susceptibility of dermatophyte strains obtained from dermatologically healthy cats in the city of Talca, Chile.

Methods:
From March 2024 to August 2024, skin or hair samples were collected from three anatomical zones (facial, abdomen, and limbs) of 113 dermatologically healthy cats using the mat technique. Samples were seeded in Sabouraud dextrose agar enriched with chloramphenicol plus cycloheximide and incubated at 25 ºC for 21 days. Then, the antifungal sensitivity of the isolated strains was determined by disc diffusion testing, and amphotericin B (10 µg), fluconazole (25 µg), clotrimazole (10 µg), caspofungin (5 µg), voriconazole (1 µg), and nystatin (100 µg) were used as antifungals. The Chi-square independence test (p

Key words: Cats, Dermatophytes, Microsporum canis, Antifungal resistance