Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Diagnosing Ringworm
Ringworm is contagious to humans and other animals, but the good
news is that just because you are exposed to it doesn't mean you will
get it. If your cat has some sort of dermatitis, wash your hands after you
touch her and don't allow the animal to sleep on your bed until a diag-
nosis has been made.
Ringworm is tentatively diagnosed by a positive Wood's lamp test.
A Wood's lamp is a black light that causes shafts of hair infected with
the fungus to glow an apple-green color.
To definitively diagnose ringworm, a dermatophtye test medium
(DTM) culture should be performed. Ringworm fungus will grow a
colony on the DTM, and the specific type of fungus can be isolated and
identified.
Treating Ringworm
It can take four to eight weeks to cure a ringworm infection. To suc-
cessfully treat ringworm, a multifaceted approach is needed. First, the
cat should be treated with oral antifungal medication. Weekly sham-
pooing and lime sulfur dips can make the skin more comfortable and
decrease the number of contagious spores on the cat.
Giving ringworm-infected cats and nonaffected housemates the
oral flea control product Program is a safe ancillary treatment. Program
works to inhibit chitin, a protein in the skeleton of fleas and also in the
fungal organism.
Ridding the environment of ringworm is almost impossible.
Frequently washing the cat's bedding is helpful.Vacuuming can pick up
spores, and it is difficult to clean and disinfect the brushes on the vac-
uum cleaner to prevent further spread. Using a cheap hand vacuum and
then disposing of it is another option.
Human ringworm looks like red, circular patches on the skin.These
areas are very itchy. Humans with isolated lesions respond well to topical
antifungal creams. Creams are not particularly effective on cats because
the cats often have multiple lesions, they lick off the cream, and it is hard
for the medication to get through the hair onto all the affected skin.
Some cats have side effects from the medications used to treat ring-
worm, so a veterinarian should monitor the animal's response to
treatment. After two weeks of treatment, the cat should be rechecked
and a CBC and/or liver enzyme test run to be sure the cat is handling
the medication without internal problems. Repeat DTM cultures
should be performed, and the cat should continue to be treated for two
weeks after the last negative culture.
