In a 2012-2014 epidemiological study of feline and canine dermatophytoses in Japan, we investigated the prevalence of fungi among 296 cats and 170 dogs treated at a veterinary clinic and 51 cats and dogs at an animal shelter at Fukui City in Japan. Microsporum canis was isolated from only one cat out of the 517 animals. Also, from 2012 to 2017, we analyzed isolates from 76 cats and 15 dogs with dermatophytoses at 14 veterinary clinics across 10 prefectures in Honshu and Shikoku. M. canis was the cause for 85 of the cases and Microsporum gypseum for the other six. M. canis infection routes in cats are thought to include stray cats as well as breeding facilities and pet shops, whereas for dogs, only breeding facilities and pet shops. Tinea was found in 18.7% (14/75) of the owners of these animals. We showed that microsatellite genotyping is useful for molecular epidemiological investigations such as determination of infection routes of M. canis.
Keywords: Japan; Microsporum canis; cats; dermatophytoses; dogs; epidemiology.