Testing for ringworm with toothbrushes
If your veterinarian suspects your pet may have ringworm, there are several different ways he or she may test for the causative fungus (a dermatophyte) on your animal's fur and skin. Some of these techniques are more useful than others in different situations.
- Wood's lamp: A Wood's lamp is simply a special ultraviolet light. Approximately half of all Microsporum canis strains (the most common species of dermatophyte that causes ringworm in cats and dogs) will fluoresce blue-green under such a light. This type of testing is obviously very easy to perform. However, other debris in an animal’s hair coat may fluoresce as well, and other species of fungus that cause ringworm do not fluoresce, so this test is not useful by itself in most cases.
- Microscopy: Sometimes ringworm fungus can be seen on hair shafts from an infected pet when examined under a microscope. However, it is easy to confuse other debris and structures for dermatophytes. Also, not every hair on an infected animal will carry the fungus, so it's possible to miss the infected hairs altogether with this test.
Fungal culture: The best way to diagnose ringworm is to culture the fungus from the infected individual (person or animal). In animals, one of the best ways to collect a sample for culture is to comb over all the fur and skin with a new toothbrush, and then try to grow dermatophytes from the toothbrush. This allows the fur from all over the animal to tested, rather than just one little clump of fur plucked from one area. It can also make it easier to get a sample from the face and paws of cats, which is where these animals often carry the fungus. Although fungal culture is the best way to diagnose ringworm, remember that fungal culture takes much longer than bacterial culture – instead of days, it may take up to three weeks to grow some dermatophytes.
It's also important to remember that dogs, and more often cats, may carry dermatophytes on their fur even when they look healthy. A positive fungal culture from an animal with skin disease, particularly a cat, does not necessarily rule out other diagnoses, so your veterinarian may still recommend other tests as well. However, any animal with ringworm should be treated to prevent spreading the infection to other animals and people.
More information about ringworm is now available on the Worms&Germs Resources page, and in our archives.
Woman pecked by magpie loses leg
A recent report in the Medical Journal of Australia described the case of a woman who was pecked in the leg by her daughter's pet magpie. The woman was otherwise healthy (i.e. she did not have a compromised immune system), but the wound became infected by the fungus Saksenaea vasiformis, which rarely causes disease in people or animals. The infection became so severe that the woman's leg had to be amputated.
Saksenaea vasiformis can be found in soil all over the world. There are a few possible routes by which the fungus may have infected the woman's leg in this case. The fungus could have been on the person's skin, and been carried into the deeper tissues by the pecking. It also could have been on the bird's beak. Alternatively, it could have contaminated the wound after the pecking, through contact with soil or dirty hands.
This is an example of an infection that would be difficult to anticipate, since it occurred in a healthy person as a result of contact with a healthy bird, and with minor trauma, but potentially could have been avoided. Although the bird may not have been the source of the fungus, the break in the protective barrier of the skin was the critical event. Basic wound care is always important, and any injury from an animal should be taken seriously and properly addressed. Wounds should be carefully cleaned and monitored for signs of infection. A physician should be consulted as soon as possible if there are any concerns. A physician should always be consulted for any wound that is:
- on the hands
- over a joint
- over a tendon (e.g. wrist, ankle)
- in the genital area
- over a prosthetic device
- sustained by a person with a compromised immune system (e.g. HIV/AIDS, transplant or cancer patient)
More information on bites can be found in the Cat Bites information sheet on the Worms & Germs Resources page). It's unclear whether any of these precautions would have prevented the serious fungal infection that occured in this case, but these measures can reduce the risks of infection.
