Dermatophytosis in an adult cattle due to Trichophyton verrucosum

Dermatophytosis is the most commonly occurring highly infectious and contagious cutaneous mycosis of public health and economic significance.This paper describes the etiologic significance of Trichophton verrucosum in bovine dermatitis.Trichopyton verrucosum, a zoophilic dermatophyte, was identified in the cutaneous lesions of a crossbred cow by employing standard mycological techniques.The diagnosis was confirmed by demonstration of fungal agents in the skin lesions by direct microscopy in potassium hydroxide and ink solution, and also by isolation of Trichophyton verrucosum on Sabouraud dextrose agar supplemented with chloramphenicol, actidione and thiamine.The detailed microscopic morphology of the isolates of dermatophytic fungus in Narayan stain revealed septate hyphae, microcondia and macroconidia.The animal was treated with topical application of 2% solution of tincture iodine.Direct microscopy in KOH-INK solution is recommended for the rapid presumptive diagnosis of ringworm in rural areas, where laboratory facility of isolation of dermatophytes is not available.As animal dermatophytes are highly communicable to humans, care should be taken when dealing with diseased animals to avoid the infection.It is emphasized that Narayan stain should be widely used in microbiology and public health laboratories to study the morphology of dermatophytes and other fungi, which are implicated in the various clinical disorders of humans and animals.