Isolation of Aspergillus spp. Collected from Hair Coat of Domestic Cats (Felis catus) with Skin Lesions

Abstract

Aspergillus spp. have been identified more than 185 species, less than 20 of which are known to cause human and animal diseases. Some Aspergillus spp. are opportunistic fungi and considered as causative agent of skin disease in pets. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of Aspergillus spp. in domestic cats. A total of 81 hair coat samples were collected at Market sub-district, Muang district, Mahasarakham province, Thailand. The samples were cultured on PDA for 14 days, then morphological identification of fungal colony were made base on microscopic characterization toward taxonomy evaluation. The results showed that fungal colonies from domestic cats at 75.31% (61/81), with
Aspergillus spp. and other fungi were 64.20% (52/81) and 11.11% (9/81), respectively. In conclusion, this studied that Aspergillus spp. can be detected from the hair coat of domesticated cats (Felis catus).