Demodicosis of the cat
The Demodikose the cat is due to the excessive proliferation of the demodex Demodex cati or Demodex gatoi induced, parasitic skin disease of domestic cats . It can occur locally or all over the body. The Demodex cati infestation can manifest itself in many skin changes : redness , hair loss , flaking , papules , pustules , ulcers . Infestation with Demodex-gatoi , on the other hand, is usually characterized by itching with hair loss due to licking. The disease is diagnosed by microscopic evidence of the mites. The treatment is carried out with anti-mite drugs .
Clinical picture
Infection with Demodex cati
The Demodex cati infection usually occurs locally and usually proceeds without itching. Numerous efflorescences such as redness, hair loss, flaking, papules, pustules or ulcers can occur. A spread to the whole body (generalization) can usually only be observed in older animals with other underlying diseases such as diabetes mellitus , Cushing's syndrome , feline leukemia or immunodeficiency syndrome in cats .
Infection with Demodex gatoi
Demodex gatoi rather colonizes the superficial horny layer of the epidermis and above all causes itching and thus an increased urge to clean. Skin changes are rare, so the disease must be differentiated from psychologically induced hair loss . Due to the itching, however, self-inflicted skin changes of all kinds can also occur due to the intensive licking. In contrast to infection with D. cati , infection with D. gatoi is to be regarded as a contagious infectious disease. It is observed in animals that have contact with other cats (exhibition animals, animal shelters), in multi-cat households mostly all animals are affected.
diagnosis
The diagnosis is made by microscopic evidence of the mites. If Demodex cati is suspected , a deep skin scraping is required , in the case of Demodex gatoi a superficial skin scraping or an adhesive strip is required. Demodex gatoi can also be detected in excrement examinations, as the mites are ingested orally by the cat when it is cleaned.
therapy
Demodicosis can heal spontaneously, i.e. without treatment. In the case of generalized Demodex cati infection, the underlying disease should be treated if possible.
Bathing with 2% limestone solution is the means of choice at Demodex gatoi . With Demodex cati , avermectins such as doramectin or ivermectin must also be used, but there are no preparations for cats approved for this indication. The same applies to the use of isoxazolines , of which Fluralaner has already been used successfully.
See also
literature
- Barbara Hinney and Anja Joachim: Ectoparasites in dogs and cats . In: Kleintierpraxis 59 (2014), pp. 152–172.
