Eastern Cottontail (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Sylvilagus Floridanus)</Emphasis> as Carrier of Dermatophyte Fungi |
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Authors: | Email author" target="_blank">MG?GalloEmail author P?Tizzani A?Peano L?Rambozzi PG?Meneguz |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Animal Production Epidemiology and Ecology, University of Turin, Via Leonardo da Vinci 44, 10095 Grugliasco, TO, Italy |
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Abstract: | Eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus, fam. Leporidae), introduced into Piedmont (Italy) in the 1960s, was studied as carrier of dermatophyte fungi. Of 216 hair samples collected
from animals culled between September 1999 and July 2000 in the Province of Alessandria (Piedmont, Italy) during a pest control
project, 57 (26.4%) yielded dermatophyte colonies. As two different species of dermatophytes grew from two samples, a total
of 59 fungal isolates (26.5%) were obtained. Six dermatophyte species both geophilic (M. gypseum, M. cookei, Trichophyton ajelloi, T. terrestre) and zoophilic (M. canis, T. mentagrophytes) were identified. No sex-related differences were found but season-related differences were observed. The highest prevalence
of dermatophyte-positive samples was recorded in May–September, due to the geophilic fungi whose prevalence decreased during
colder and increased during warmer months ( p < 0.001). The presence of zoophilic dermatophytes, T. mentagrophytes, commonly associated with rodents, small mammals and lagomorphs and M. canis, usually correlated with domestic environment, did not change the whole year round. As Eastern cottontail has been showed
to be a carrier of dermatophytes transmissible to man (M. canis, T. mentagrophytes and M. gypseum), it may represent a source of infection for gamekeepers, hunters and veterinarians. |
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Keywords: | dermatophytes Eastern cottontail Leporidae Microsporum canis zoonosis |
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