Retrospective study of dermatophytosis in companion animal cases at umk veterinary clinic from the year 2012 to 2021

Dermatophytosis is one of the most common skin infections affecting companion animals. It is a zoonotic disease that has an impact on public health. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence, common species of Dermatophytes, and risk factors of dermatophytosis in companion animals such as cats, dogs and horses. Data was obtained from Klinik Veterinar UMK and Bacteriology lab, FPV UMK, from 2012 to 2021. A Chi-square test was used to analyze the data. The result inferred that the overall prevalence of dermatophytosis in companion animals in Kelantan was 13.7%. Besides that, the most common Dermatophytes identified were Microsporum spp. (47%) and Trichophyton spp. (19%). Age, immune status, and management of hosts are identified as significant risk factors (P-value < 0.05) associated with the occurrence of dermatophytosis in companion animals. However, the sex factor had no significance. In conclusion, the current findings suggests that dermatophytosis exists in companion animals such as cats, dogs and horses and the occurrence rate is significant. Thus, an awareness campaign should be conducted by authorities to highlight the risk in public health given the zoonotic nature of dermatophytosis. Identification of the disease’s potential risk factors may aid in the development of appropriate preventive strategies and to control the spread of disease.
Keywords: Companion animals, Dermatophytosis, Microsporum spp., Prevalence, Risk factors, Zoonotic