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Typically, a long course of oral antifungal medication is required, until the fungus is cleared. More serious cases may require hospitalization for intravenous antifungal medication and supportive care, such as intravenous fluids and nutritional support. Follow-up veterinary monitoring is necessary, as antifungal medication can have side effects for internal organs, such as the liver. Treatment and monitoring can last anywhere from months. People are susceptible to the disease as well. Transmission is by inhalation of fungal spores from the soil, not exposure to an infected dog or cat.
Cryptococcosis primarily affects immunocompromised individuals. Outcomes are generally good if the disease is detected early, treated, and monitored appropriately. Aspergillosis in Dogs and Cats. Feline cryptococcosis is the most common systemic fungal disease in cats. However, its infection incidence in the feline population is low, a seeming contradiction we will explain further.
Cryptococcus fungi most frequently affect the nasal area, often resulting in an inflamed nose. Swelling of the nose is one of the common symptoms which indicates the cat may have cryptococcosis. However, cryptococcal infections can be found in the lung, eyes, nervous system or present as a systemic infection.
In this AnimalWised article, we explain cryptococcosis in cats. We share what can lead to such a fungal infection, what symptoms to look out for and what treatment options are available. Just as important, we also look at how this disease can best be prevented. Feline cryptococcosis is an infectious disease that affects cats and is caused by a type of fungus. Specifically, the most frequently isolated fungal agent is Cryptococcus neoformans.
It is a disease associated with habitats where there are birds, especially pigeons, as it is found in their feces. It can also be caused by Cr yptococcus gattii, usually in areas of tropical or subtropical climates. In these cases, the source of infection is plant material of certain trees. It is a small-sized yeast-type of fungus with a worldwide distribution. It has a capsule, which in addition to protecting it from drying out, makes it difficult for the cat's immune system to recognize it.
In turn, it triggers the immune response necessary for its elimination. In cats, a risk factor for the development of C. However, C. In immunocompromised individuals the infection is usually more severe, while those with a strong immune system the infection is usually localized in the nasal area, without spreading.
The main source of infection is inhalation of the yeast, depositing in the upper respiratory system. Here, they produce nasal granulomas, the cause of swelling in the cat's nose. If they reach the lower airways of the lung, they cause pulmonary granulomas. The fungus can spread to other places, such as the central nervous system via the blood.
Lymphatic or local invasion can occur through the cribriform plate of the ethmoid bone that communicates the brain with the nasal cavity. They can also reach other locations, such as the eyes, face and skin. If a severe systemic form of the disease occurs, the yeast can spread to organs such as the spleen, heart, kidneys or digestive organs. Cryptococcosis can produce very different clinical signs depending on the location of the yeast and the degree to which it spread.
There can be several types of cryptococcosis in cats: nasal, pulmonary, nervous, ocular and systemic. In nasal cryptococcosis in cats, the most common symptoms are respiratory, with upper respiratory tract signs such as:. Cryptococcus infections are only one reason a cat might have improper discharge from their nose. Our article on why your cat's nose is bleeding will help you understand more. When the yeast affects the lungs, granulomas, fibroblastic foci produced by pneumonia or infiltration around the bronchi can occur.
These will produce symptoms related to the lower airways such as:. Cryptococcosis can also reach the nervous system, where signs can be seen that can be a consequence of encephalitis or meningitis due to the presence of yeast in the central nervous system.
These symtpoms include:. When cryptococcosis affects different locations, a multitude of symptoms can occur, being the most serious form of the disease. Among them, these symptoms stand out:. When the clinical signs suggest cryptococcosis , the cat will be taken to the veterinarian.
The clinical history of the animal will be consulted, but diagnosis will require laboratory and complementary tests. These including the isolation and identification of the microorganism by cytology and a culture, as well as the determination of the antigen of the yeast capsule.
Four months after discontinuation of ITZ, the cat did not relapse and the antigen titer was in the negative range. No side-effects of ITZ were detected by physical and laboratory examination. Abstract: Cryptococcus neoformans causes the most common form of feline systemic fungal disease.
Nineteen cats with cryptococcosis were seen at the Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania between April and May Compared to other studies, these 19 cases showed increased neurological and ophthalmological involvement. Males were affected more often than females. Season and environment appeared to influence time of onset or presentation to the hospital. Clinical pathology did not show typical changes. It is possible that the organism was present frequently in the urine but was mistaken for fat droplets.
Treatment with ketoconazole was unrewarding in cases with central nervous system CNS involvement. Abstract: The relationship between treatment outcome and location of cryptococcal infection, gender, magnitude of pretreatment cryptococcal antigen titers, results of feline leukemia virus FeLV and feline immunodeficiency virus FIV serology, and serial changes in antigen titers during and after treatment were evaluated in a prospective and nonrandomized study of 35 cats with cryptococcosis.
Pretreatment mean log titers for serum cryptococcal antigen were not influenced by location of the infection. Treatment outcome was not influenced by gender, location of the infection, or magnitude of pretreatment serum antigen titer. For cats in which treatment was successful, antigen titers decreased significantly from pretreatment values by 1. By 10 months after initiating treatment, log titers decreased by at least 2 orders of magnitude in all cats successfully treated, and 9 of 16 cats had undetectable titers.
In contrast, in 5 of 6 cats in which treatment failed, antigen titers were unchanged or increased in magnitude even after at least 6 months of treatment. Abstract: Six cases 3 cats, 3 dogs of cryptococcosis were cured using combination chemotherapy that included amphotericin B. We developed a simple, practical and inexpensive method of administering amphotericin B as a subcutaneous infusion during the treatment of these patients.
For this, the calculated dose of amphotericin B 0. This protocol enabled the administration of larger, and thus more effective, quantities of amphotericin B without producing marked azotaemia. Abstract: Itraconazole was used in 35 cats with cryptococcosis. Treatment response was determined by comparing clinical signs before, during, and after treatment. It could not be evaluated in 7 cats because they died during treatment from causes unrelated to cryptococcosis.
The failures were due to death or euthanasia from drug toxicity 1 cat , progressive fungal disease 2 cats , and relapse 1 year after treatment 1 cat. The cats that improved did not undergo a 1-year posttreatment evaluation because they were lost to follow-up 3 cats , died or were euthanatized for other reasons 4 cats , or had a noncompliant owner 1 cat.
For the 16 cats in which treatment was successful, the median itraconazole dose was Five of these cats had previously been treated unsuccessfully with ketoconazole. Abstract: Twenty-nine cats with naturally occurring cryptococcosis were evaluated prior to commencing oral fluconazole therapy mg every 12 h. Affected cats ranged from 2 to 15 years-of-age. Primary infection of the central nervous system was not encountered, although one cat developed meningoencephalitis and optic neuritis as a sequel to longstanding nasal cavity disease.
There was a tendency for cats to develop cryptococcosis during the Australian summer. Organisms were cultured from 27 cases. Cryptococcus neoformans var. The response to oral fluconazole was excellent in this series, which included many cats with advanced, longstanding or disseminated disease.
The fungal infection resolved in all but one advanced case which died after only 4 days of therapy. A dose of 50 mg per cat, given every 12 h, produced a consistently good response without side effects. Lower doses were effective in some cases, while mg every 12 h was required to control the infection in one cat. Concurrent FIV infection did not impart an unfavourable prognosis, although affected cats often required prolonged courses of therapy.
Implement environmental controls. While medical treatment is initiated and ongoing, it is important to decrease the amount of environmental contamination with fungal spores. This helps to ensure that once the cat is cleared of ringworm, she doesn't then re-infect herself, or that the environment does not act as a reservoir of infection for you, the owner.
Everywhere the cat goes she sheds dander and hair, which are potential sources of ringworm infection. Ideally you should keep the pet confined to one room so as to minimize the spread of infection. Remove all the soft furnishings except for the cat's bed, since these are more difficult to clean.
The cat's bed should be washed by itself, in a washing machine on a hot wash with detergent. There is minimal risk of further washes being contaminated. Where possible, leave the bed to dry in bright sunshine. The room should be cleaned and disinfected with a dilution of household bleach in water.
This means that you add ml of bleach to each ml of water, to make up a stock cleaning solution. In an ideal world, all hard surfaces in the room would be cleaned with dilute bleach daily to minimize build-up of contamination.
The room should also be vacuumed and the vacuum bag disposed of by incineration. Clip the cat's coat. The ringworm fungus grows down hair shafts. To give ringworm less chance to colonize the cat's coat, and also ensure that there is less shedding of infected hairs, it is a good idea to clip the cat's coat short. Keep the scissor blades parallel to the surface of the skin and cut at 90 degrees to the hair shafts. Trim away the hair as close to the skin as possible without cutting or nicking the skin.
Wear a disposable plastic apron and gloves while clipping the cat, and throw these away afterwards. Collect the clippings in a plastic bag and dispose of by burning if possible. If this is not possible, double wrap them in another plastic bag and dispose of in the garbage. Throw away any grooming equipment used on the infected cat, or thoroughly disinfect it with dilute bleach.
If the cat objects to being clipped then speak to your veterinary clinic who will be happy to sedate the animal and professionally clip him. Shampoo the cat. Washing the cat with an appropriate shampoo can help clean the hair follicles, and reduce the shedding of infected hairs and dander.
This should be done for both clipped and unclipped cats. The shampooing is not so much to kill the fungus although this is a bonus if a medicated shampoo is used but to decrease environmental contamination. With this in mind, if a treatment shampoo is not available, any mild shampoo suitable for use on the cat is acceptable as an alternative. Find a suitable shampoo. If you choose to use a treatment shampoo, you should look for one of the following: [10] X Research source Chlorhexidine: A suitable topical treatment is a solution of chlorhexidine.
Chlorhexidine is an antiseptic with antifungal properties. This is diluted in water an appropriate dilution is 5ml of chlorhexidine to 1 liter of water and sponged over the cat and allowed to air dry. Malaseb is used as a shampoo and so the coat and skin should be thoroughly wet, the shampoo lathered on and left in contact with the skin for 10 minutes, and then rinsed thoroughly.
Enilconazole: Enilconazole is an antifungal agent that is applied externally to the skin and can be used on pregnant cats and young kittens. One part enilconazole is diluted in 50 parts of water to produce a 0. This is then sponged over the cat every 3 days. Understand the prognosis. Healthy cats can be expected to self-cure in around 2 to 3 months [11] X Research source The 5 minute Veterinary Consult. Tilley and Smith. Publisher Williams and Wilkins.
During this time, however, they are a source of infection for others and so it is best to keep them in isolation. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. For most healthy adults, ringworm is a mild infection that clears easily with topical antifungal treatments. However, you should always seek medical attention for children, the elderly, or those with suppressed immunity because, unchecked by the body's defense system, ringworm may cause serious skin infections.
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1. Many cats who come into contact with the ringworm fungus do not develop skin disease, as their immune system prevents the fungus from establishing itself. However, cats with weakened immune systems such as very young, old or sick cats are more likely to develop a clinical skin disease if they come into contact with ringworm spores.
Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0. Topical treatments such as chlorhexidine and enilconazole can be used as a means of limiting spread of ringworm rather than a cure. They can be helpful in pregnant animals or those too young for oral medications, to limit spread to litter mates, the owner, or the environment, buying time until the cat can be orally dosed.
Helpful 3 Not Helpful 4. You Might Also Like How to. How to. More References 3. About This Article. Co-authored by:. Co-authors: 9. Updated: January 5, Article Summary X To recognize and treat ringworm in cats, start by looking for symptoms, such as patches of hair loss and scaly patches on the face, paws, or ears. Deutsch: Ringelflechte bei Katzen erkennen und behandeln. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read , times.
Reader Success Stories Anonymous Aug 22, The names of chemicals to look for in shop-bought remedies and how to make up a sponge-on solution were helpful and it was assuring to know a healthy cat should heal in 3 months. More reader stories Hide reader stories.
Did this article help you? Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Anonymous Aug 22, Trina Houston Sep 3, My challenge is that we have 7 rescued cats, most are feral.
Bathing will be a bloodbath for me! Also, getting the right medication in Mexico is not easy. Sounds like it will be very expensive going to the vet! But thank you for the info. Anonymous May 16, Just knowing if my adult shows signs of also being infected and also knowing how to minimize this happening is a huge help.
Anonymous Feb 21, Since I have several cats, this is most helpful in determining which ones have it. Anonymous Dec 6,
Central nervous system (CNS) cryptococcosis. Cryptococcosis is a non-contagious, rare or sporadic disease, which occurs worldwide and is considered the most common systemic fungal disease in cats. It is. Cryptococcosis is a systemic fungal disease that may affect the respiratory tract (especially the nasal cavity), CNS, eyes, and skin (particularly of the.