Fungal diseases in cats
© August, JR (2006) Consultations in Feline Internal Medicine, Vol 5. Elsevier Saunders
| Skin | Systemic | |
| Microsporum canis (ringworm) | Cryptococcus (C. neoformans, C. albicans, C. magnus) | |
| Microsporum gypseum (ringworm) | Coccidioidomycosis (Coccioides immitis) | |
| Trichophyton mentagrophytes (ringworm) | Cytauxzoonosis (Cytauxzoon felis) | |
| Trichophyton rubrum (nasal cavity) | Aspergillosis (Aspergillus flavus, A. fumigatus; naso-orbital abscesses) | |
| Malassezia pachydermatis (otitis externa / otitis media) | Histoplasmosis (Histoplasma capsulatum) | |
| Trichosporon spp (nasal cavity) | Pythium spp (naso-orbital abscesses) | |
| Prototheca spp (algae in nasal cavity) | Penicillium spp (naso-orbital abscesses) | |
| Aphanoascus fulvescens (commensal) | Sporotrichosis (Sporothrix schenckii) | |
| Chrysosporium indicum (commensal) | Blastomycosis (Blastomyces dermatitidis) | |
| Chrysosporium merdarium (commensal) | Scopulariopsis spp | |
| Chrysosporium tropicum (commensal) | Mucor amphibiorum | |
| Candida spp | Rhinosporidium spp (cause nasal polyps in dogs but not diagnosed in cats) | |
| Phaeohyphomycosis (Cladosporium spp.) | ||
| Alternaria spp | ||
Cats infected with FIV or FeLV may have a greater diversity of cutaneous and mucosal mycoflora than noninfected cats. However, infected cats may be no more likely than noninfected cats to expose humans to zoonotic fungi such as Cryptococcus albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, and Microsporum canis. The most common fungal isolates were Aspergillus spp (cultured from 59.3% of all specimens), Penicillium spp (50.0%), Cladosporium spp (44.2%), Scopulariopsis spp (41.8%), and lipophilic yeasts of the genus Malassezia (31.4%). A greater diversity of fungal genera was isolated from retrovirus-infected cats, and Malassezia spp were more commonly recovered from these cats, compared with noninfected cats. Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, and dermatophytes (eg, Microsporum canis) were rarely isolated from any cat. Significant differences in frequency of isolation of C neoformans and dermatophytes were not found between infected and noninfected cats.