Abstract

The fungal microbiota that dogs and cats carry in their haircoat is principally acquired from the environment and is composed of diverse queratinophilic fungi, pathogens and opportunistic, therefore their presence represent an infection risk for the human population. The aims of this research was to contribute to the knowledge of the role of healthy cats as potential disseminators of pathogens and opportunistic filamentous fungi to humans. Fifty tissue and hair samples of dermatological healthy cats were collected, using the Mariat y Tapia sampling technique. The samples was cultured on Sabouraud agar supplemented with glucose and chloramphenicol gentamicin (ASG), Dermatophytes Test Medium agar (DTM) and Dermatophyte Identification Medium (DIM) and incubated at 28 C for 21 days. Its were obtained 100% positive samples to the fungal culture, and were identified Acremonium, Alternaria, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Chaetomium, Chrysosporium, Fusarium, Geotrichum, Humicola, Paecilomyces, Penicillium, Scopulariopsis, Trichoderma and Sporothrix, some of them are reported as potential keratinophylics and opportunistic patogens. Dermatophytes were mostly isolated from cats (80%), represented by Microsporum canis, Microsporum gypseum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Epidermophyton floccosum. The occurrence of several filamentous keratinophylic and keratinolitic fungi in the haircoat of dermatological healthy cats confirms their status as reservoirs and as sources of opportunistic infection.