The principle of treating fungal skin diseases is to identify and eliminate favorable factors for fungal growth. Use topical or systemic medications as directed by a specialist; Absolutely do not self‐treat at home without an accurate diagnosis of the disease, which can easily lead to wrong medication, overdose or under‐dose of medication, or drug‐related complications in humans;
Continued Part 1 What causes ringworm in humans? Related factors and risk factors for ringworm,…
Treatment of fungal skin diseases transmitted from pets
On human
The principle of treating fungal skin diseases is to identify and eliminate factors that favor fungal growth. Use topical or systemic medications as directed by a specialist;
Absolutely do not self‐treat at home without an accurate diagnosis of the disease, which can easily lead to wrong medication, overdose or under‐dose of medication, or drug‐related accidents in humans;
Treatment is using medicine, skin care and hygiene, and taking your dog or cat for a check‐up to prevent pathogens. Treat as soon as possible, if the person infected with the fungus leaves the disease for a long time, it can easily cause complications (high fever, many red rashes, body discomfort, itching, secondary infection);
If you see signs of skin fungus in your pet or animal, take it to the veterinary clinic for timely treatment to avoid spreading it to humans;
It is a fairly benign and easy to treat skin disease, but many people get ringworm in dogs and cats because they have a weak immune system. This makes it easy for the virus to enter our bodies, or we often hug and caress dogs, cats, and rabbits, and that is also a cause of people being infected with ringworm in dogs, cats, and rabbits, or it could be because we accidentally come into contact with objects carrying fungal cells and get infected with the fungus, which is obvious;
To diagnose and treat fungal diseases in pets, you should visit a specialized medical facility to get advice from a doctor and get the best treatment for the patient;
Keeping your body and your pets clean is also an important step. In addition, keeping the surrounding environment, living space or cages, boxes of cats, dogs, and rabbits clean should be done regularly to minimize the spread of pathogens;
If you have skin fungus on your body for a long time, spreading to many areas of the body and causing fever, you should see a specialist for an accurate diagnosis, timely treatment to cure the disease early, and avoid spreading. If you see only a few small spots or warts on your body, you can refer to the following notes to slow down the development of fungus:
- Use topical medications: Because the condition is mild and can be easily treated, you can use antifungal ointments, lotions or powders such as clotrimazole, terbinafine or miconazole. Depending on each person’s condition, the doctor may prescribe other medications;
- Do not scratch the affected area as this will spread the fungus to other parts of the body;
- Clean the body, especially fungal wounds with saline. Instead of using soaps with high detergent properties, choose shower gels with natural extracts;
- After bathing, dry your body with a soft towel and apply moisturizer to the affected area. Because the nature of fungal infections is to cause itching. Therefore, moisturizer is an effective method to promote the regeneration and repair of damaged skin, it also helps to reduce itching.
The main way that ringworm is transmitted to humans is through direct contact between humans and cats (kissing, cuddling, petting or sleeping with cats). In addition, sharing or coming into contact with items such as towels, bed sheets, pillows, combs with cats infected with the fungus is also a cause of the disease spreading. Therefore, treating ringworm in humans is extremely urgent;
To treat or cure ringworm, the patient needs to follow the doctor’s instructions. This includes using medicine, caring for and cleaning the skin, and taking the cat for a check‐up to prevent pathogens. The sooner the medicine is used to treat ringworm, the faster the disease will go away. If the infected person lets the ringworm incubate for a long time, this condition can cause high fever, red rashes, body discomfort, and itching. For people with weak immune systems, the health is even more dangerous;
Depending on the patient’s condition, the doctor will prescribe the appropriate prescription. If the patient has a mild fungal infection, use topical lotions, Terbinafine ointment, Clotrimazole or Miconazole. In case of severe fungal infection, prescribe additional antifungal medication;
Patients are prescribed topical antifungal drugs or systemic oral antifungal drugs combined with incision and drainage of pus in the abscess (if any);
In particular, if you have dogs or cats at home, try to keep them clean, regularly check their health and deworm them. If you see signs of skin disease in your pets, take them to a veterinary clinic for timely treatment to avoid spreading the disease to humans.
On animals
Tinea capitis is a superficial fungal skin disease of dogs and cats. It is not life‐threatening and resolves without intervention; however, treatment is recommended to be short‐term and to reduce spread (Moriello et al., 2017);
When a cat has fungus, it should be shaved to prevent the spread and make it easier to apply medicine and control the disease. Clean the affected area;
Some topical antifungal medications are Nizoral, Kentax, Ketoconazole, Fungikur, Biopirox, zinc oxide ointment, used 1‐2 times/day. In severe cases, oral medications and liver supplements can be combined to increase treatment effectiveness; Cats should be given a muzzle/muzzle cover to prevent them from licking the topical medication;
Bathe your cat 1‐2 times/week with green tea leaves, fresh lemon or buy a specialized anti‐fungal shower gel to bathe your cat. Do not bathe the affected area with soap before applying the medicine;
Systemic or urinary Candida spp. infections : Fluconazole or Amphotericin B; Intravenous clotrimazole may be required for UTI, gastrointestinal or skin Candida spp. infections, usually treated with Nystatin or Amphotericin B;
Nystatin ointment or topical Amphotericin B or 1% iodine solution may be useful in treating oral or cutaneous candidiasis . Disseminated or urinary candidiasis in small animals is treated with Fluconazole for 4‐6 weeks; Intravesical treatment with 1% Clotrimazole with a 1‐hour soak may be necessary to resolve urinary tract infections;
Itraconazole, Amphotericin B and Echinocandins have been used for invasive fungal disease. Poultry are treated with Nystatin or other antifungals in feed or drinking water;
Malassezia ear infections are treated by cleaning the ear once or twice daily. An ear cleanser containing an acid such as acetic or boric acid maintains a pH that inhibits yeast growth. After cleaning and drying the ear, an appropriate topical medication containing nystatin, thiabendazole, or clomitrazole may be used;
Evaluate and check your skin once a week. If there is any abnormality, notify your doctor immediately;
At each follow‐up visit, skin cytology will be checked and tested to see if the number of fungi has decreased and what the skin condition is;
Skin irritation and odor usually resolve within a week of treatment; however, recurrence of the condition is common when the underlying condition is not addressed;
Follow instructions closely and apply topical medications as prescribed. Do not use any shampoos or medications or change treatments on your dog without consulting your veterinarian;
Recurrence is very common so keep your dog/cat clean and dry at all times;
Disease prevention measures
When infected with skin fungus, it is necessary to pay attention to personal hygiene regularly, avoid wearing damp, wet clothes. It is necessary to boil, iron clothes regularly or dry clothes in the sun, especially underwear, towels, face towels, bras. Avoid contact with infected dogs, cats, rabbits;
Absolutely do not share clothes or blankets with sick people, avoid bathing with soap;
If you have dogs or cats at home, try to keep them clean, regularly check their health and deworm them. When pets show signs of skin disease, they should be taken to veterinary clinics for timely treatment to avoid spreading to humans. If family members have skin fungus due to contact with dogs, cats, rabbits;
It is necessary to use topical antifungal drugs alone or combine topical drugs + systemic oral drugs as appropriate depending on the severity of the injury as prescribed by a specialist;
In an increasingly modern life, pets are considered friends of everyone in the family, closeness and frequent contact such as kissing, hugging, touching, massaging them, even sleeping in the same bed with them, so this is a high risk of fungal infection. Therefore, everyone must always be vigilant for bacteria and fungi on pets that can spread to the skin and cause disease in humans. In case of fungal infection, the patient needs to be treated early. If left for a long time, the spread of the lesion will lead to infection, causing complications such as hair loss and scarring;
If you have a cat, you must trim its nails to avoid scratching and take it to a veterinary facility for thorough treatment;
Although ringworm is not life‐threatening, it causes a lot of trouble. This disease will last for a long time if not treated completely;
When you have ringworm, you will feel a lot of itching. If you scratch to satisfy the itch, especially at night, the patient often scratches unconsciously, the itching will become more intense, the fungus will also spread further, making it more serious. Therefore, take care of your skin safely with benign products according to your doctor’s advice: Always keep your body clean, especially the skin area with ringworm. Do not use shower gel or soap with strong detergents. Instead, use a benign shower gel with natural ingredients, which helps to gently clean the skin, without causing dryness or irritation;
After bathing, dry your entire body and apply moisturizer to the ringworm lesions. Ringworm in humans is not only itchy but also dry. Applying moisturizer is a good way to promote skin regeneration and recovery from damage. At the same time, moisturizer also helps soothe the skin, helping the patient feel more comfortable and less itchy;
Trim your nails to avoid further damage to the itchy spots caused by ringworm;
Clean living environment: Change all bedding, curtains and items that have been in contact because mold can be located in them and continue to spread. If you have a cat in your family, you should take the cat to a veterinary facility to be checked and remove the pathogen.
Ringworm in humans is not a dangerous skin disease, but it causes a lot of trouble for the patient. Especially when ringworm appears in exposed skin areas such as the face, neck, hands, etc., it will make the patient feel extremely self‐conscious. Ringworm needs to be treated immediately with medications prescribed by a doctor. Regularly clean the body and apply moisturizer to recover faster. Keep the living environment clean and take the cat for a check‐up to eliminate pathogens;
Regularly let your cat sunbathe, clean the cat’s living area in a cool, dry place, avoid mold. Clean and disinfect toys, support tools, cages, and cat hair when it falls out. After bathing, dry the hair;
Sick cats should be isolated from other cats to avoid spreading the disease. Do not buy cats of unknown origin. Do not come into direct contact with cats with fungus. Wear gloves.
one‐Health approach and how to make the results sustainable
In conclusion
Some scientific studies show that interacting with pets can create positive neurological changes. Positive interactions such as hugging and petting can help pet lovers increase the concentration of feel‐good neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin in the brain, according to the health website Healthline (USA). Therefore, raising dogs and cats can help pet lovers improve problems of depression, anxiety and stress.
However, there is a risk that when hugging or petting a dog or cat infected with a skin fungus, humans can be infected. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US.CDC) says that humans are susceptible to the fungus if they touch the fur or skin of an infected animal. Surfaces that frequently come into contact with the skin, such as blankets and toys, can be home to the fungus for months and become a medium for infection. Some breeds of dogs and cats are more susceptible to the fungus than others. For dogs, these are breeds such as Yorkshire terriers, Boston terriers and Jack Russells. Meanwhile, cats that are susceptible to the fungus are Persian cats and Himalayan cats. Fungus usually appears on the face, ears, tail and paws of dogs, while in cats it usually appears on the head, chest, front legs and back. When in contact with dogs or cats with fungus, you should wear gloves, long‐sleeved shirts and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.
People with weakened immune systems should not touch any pets that have fungus. Disinfecting and vacuuming objects, surfaces, and areas in the home that pets frequently touch will help prevent the spread of fungus.
Source
1.Bozena Dworecka‐Kaszaket al., (2018). Animals as a potential source of human fungal infections. Wiad Parazytol, 2008;54(2):101‐8.
2.Alsi Dara Paryuni, Soedarmanto Indarjulianto, Sitarina Widyarini (2020). Dermatophytosis in companion animals: A review. Vet World.2020 Jun; 13(6): 1174‐1181.
3.Karen Moriello (2023). Dermatophytosis in cats and dogs: A practical guide to diagnosis and treatment. https://www.mdpi.com/2309‐608X/4/3/89.
4.Aditya K Gupta, Jennifer E Ryder, Melody Chow, Elizabeth A Cooper (2005). Dermatophytosis: The management of fungal infections. Skinmed, 2005 Sep‐Oct;4(5):305‐10.
5.Verónica L. Burstein, Ignacio Beccacece, Lorena Guasconi, Cristian J. Mena, Laura Cervi, Laura S. Chiapello. Skin immunity to Dermatophytes: From experimental infection models to human disease. Front. Immunol., 02 December 2020, Sec. Microbial Immunology, Volume 11‐2020 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2020.605644
Author: Dr. Huynh Hong Quang
(Quy Nhon Institute of Malaria, Parasitology and Entomology)
