Incidence of dermatophytoses in rabbit farms in Catalonia, Spain, and its repercussion on human health

Abstract

Over the past decades there has been an important increase in the incidence of dermatophytoses in humans as a result of contact with animals, although etiological agents can vary as can the animals transmitting the disease. A large-scale study was carried out in 220 farms raising rabbits for consumption. Most of the farms (85%) were located in the autonomous community of Catalonia (Spain). Mycological studies showed that 79.5% of the rabbits were infected with Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. granulosum. Microsporum canis was isolated in only two animals, which had been imported from France. Healthy animal carriers were detected in 3.2% of the apparently non-infected farms. T. mentagrophytes were also found in samples taken from rabbits' nests and from the surrounding environment of the two infected farms. In a survey carried out among the staff responsible for the care of the animals, 77% of those working on infected farms suffered or had suffered dermatophytic lesions. This was confirmed in 8 out of 10 cases sampled. Attention is drawn to the high incidence of dermatophytoses in rabbits on farms and the importance of T. mentagrophytes as the etiological agent of tinea in people in close contact with infected animals.