Vet. World, 2012, Vol.5(5):297-300 CLINICAL Bovine Dermatophytosis Caused by

Outbreak of acute bovine dermatophytosis in a large scale dairy herd in Arusha region of Tanzania is described. Clinical history of the condition complimented with detailed examination of the affected animals (33.3%, 14/42) revealed that animals were pastured during the day and padlocked at night. The main clinical signs presented were gray-white, discrete, crusty, circumscribed extensive lesion all over the body. Skin scrapings were taken from the lesions for mites and fungal isolation and characterization. Pinched off lesion were examined in 30 % KOH preparations and scrapping were directly streaked on 0 Trichophyton Agar and incubated at 37 C. Bacteriological and fungal stain of the colonies revealed positive mycotic structures spherical, pyriform to calvate often of irregular shape which is characteristic of Trychophyton verrucosum. The isolation and morphological identification of T. verrucosum supported the clinical diagnosis. Considering the large number of animals involved, and the severity of the lesions, that necessitated veterinary intervention, it would be necessary to asses the prevalence and economic importance of the disease in dairy herd establishments in Tanzania. Arusha, Cattle, Tanzania, T. verrucosum


Case history
recognized in several African countries (Pandey, 1979;Abou-Gabal et al., 1976;Efuntoye and Fashanu, Dermatophytosis, caused by Trichophyton 2002) the occurrence of clinical disease in Tanzania verrucosum, is a disease that affects many spp of has never been reported previously and, therefore, not livestock and occurs as an acute or chronic skin fully thoroughly known.This case report describes an disease (Svejgaard, 1986;Chermette et al., 2008).outbreak of acute bovine dermatophytosis in a large Close confinement, host factors (age, immunoscale dairy herd and highlights that the disease in competence, type of breed, host grooming behavior), Tanzania could occur in outbreak proportions and in dietary factors deficiencies, condition of exposed skin clinically severe form as has been reported in other surfaces and production system accompanied by countries in west and north Africa.We believe that this prolonged wetting are thought to be important is the first documented outbreak of a severe form of predisposing factors (Moretti et al., 1998;Papini et al., bovine cuteneous dermatophytosis in exotic dairy 2009).Affected animals initially develop characterianimal in Tanzania.stically discrete, scaling patches of hair loss with greywhite crust that later become thickly suppurated crust whose location is highly variable (Radostits et al., On 24 November 2006, the manager of a large 2000).
scale Aryshire breed dairy farm with 42 heads of cattle In tropical and sub-tropical areas, the disease can reported to Veterinary Investigation Centre (VIC), be epizootic and can result in considerable economic Arusha, the occurrence of skin lesions in a number of losses as a result of lost production, public health animals.At the farm, a clinical history of the condition concern, premature culling, treatment costs and down was taken and this was followed by a clinical grading of hides and skins (Pandey and Cabaret, 1980; examination of the affected animals.The examination Ogbonna et al., 1986;Wabacha et al., 1998;Nweze, revealed that affected animals, mainly adults were 2010).Although the clinical disease has been pastured during the day and padlocked at night.The main clinical signs presented were gray-white, crusty, Clinical assessment of the lesions: Two types of extensive lesion all over the body.Two weeks later, 7 skin lesions were observed in the affected animals.out of 42 animals (all sex) were noted to have similar The most common lesions were manifested as lesions.A total of 14 (33.3%)cases were observed discrete, circumscribed lesion of variables sizes that during the outbreak that lasted from mid November were covered with grey-white crust.Some crusts had 2006 when the weather was hot and dry.The mean coalesced to form large lesions covering large areas of involved the formation of small scabs protruding above the skin surface causing the hair over the affected site to be erect and matted in tufts.Removal of Outbreak area: Outbreak was reported at a large the crusts from the discrete circumscribed lesions scale (defined by the dairy development authority as revealed an alopecic, red, moist keratinized tissue.The farms having more than 10 graded or pure exotic dairy lesions of the pustular form were evenly distributed breed of all age and sex) institute farm located in over the whole skin surface while for the crust form; Arusha Municipality, Tanzania.Geographically, the the lesions were mainly on the lateral neck, muzzle, municipality is situated at the foot of Mount Meru (Lat head region, brisket and down the hind limbs.A 03'16-03'20S and Longt 36'37-36'50E) and intersect tentative diagnosis of cutaneous bovine dermatothe great north Road from Cape Town to Cairo.The phytosis was made on 25 Nov 2006 and the affected annual average rainfall is 800 -1200 mm and are animals were isolated from the rest of the animals.normally concentrated in two season; from the end of March to May (long rains) and from the end of October Laboratory analysis of the samples: Direct to December (short rains).Mean temperature ranges microscopic examination of epidermal scales, using 0 0 30% KOH, were negative for mites, but showed from 15 C to 30 C and the human population is hyaline-septated arthroconidiate hyphae suggesting estimated to be 516,000 growing at a rate of 4 % per dermatophyte infection.Culture growth was relatively annum (URT, 2002).
slow, forming glabrous, heaped, white to grey raised Animal and management system: Investigated granular colonies in 72 hrs which were adherent to the animals comprised crosses of Bos taurus cattle medium.Microscopic examination of the colonies (mainly Ayrshire) with the Bos indicus breed, the revealed positive mycotic structures spherical, indigenous Tanzania short horn zebu (TSHZ).The pyriform to calvate often of irregular shape which is level of taurine blood genes inheritance varied from characteristic of Trychophyton spp (Takatori et al., 62.5% to equal or above 75%.Animals were pastured 1993).during the day and padlocked at night.Cattle are vaccinated yearly against Anthrax, Hemorrhagic Septicemia, Lumpy Skin Disease and s.19 brucella Trichophyton verrucosum is a cosmopolitan vaccine for female calves <10 months old.Control of zoophilic species of fungi that causes ringworm in ectoparasites mainly ticks, twice very four weeks is cattle and other farm animals, from which human can done by using Decatix® (2.5% m/v, Deltamethrin, become infected (Weber, 2000).Infected human may Coopers, Zimbabwe).Anthelmintic treatment using experience a strong inflammatory infection which albendazole (Valbazen, Pfizer Animal Health, 10mg may typically occur in the scalp, the beard region, or /kg body weight) is generally limited to calves.

Sampling and mycological examination:
this investigation is that persistent infections of farm Using animals by fungal like T. verrucosum in addition to its sterile surgical blade, skin scrapings were taken from deleterious effects on cattle causes public health the lesions for mite and fungal isolation and hazards (Nweze, 2010).Several outbreaks of this characterization.Laboratory handling, storage and disease in animals have been reported in which spread examination of clinical specimens for mites and fungi to humans is not uncommon, eg., 20 cattle were were undertaken at VIC laboratory in Arusha.Pinched infected and 2 animal attendants acquired the disease off lesion were examined in 30 % KOH preparations in Kenya (Wabacha et al., 1998); in China twelve cases and proceeding of the skin scrapping were directly were seen in farm animal attendants (Ming et al., streaked on Trichophyton Agar (Difco: Cat.No 0 2006).Our study is the first to report evidence of a 287710) and incubated at 37 C.

Discussion
a text book of the diseases of cattle, sheep, non-lesional skin in calves.J Vet Med Sci, 33 C and 32 C for Nov, the skin.The pustular lesions were less common and 0 Dec 2006 and 32 C for Jan 2007.