A 23-yr old female Patagonian sea lion (Otaria byronia) presented multifocal to coalescing and ulcerative skin lesions on the lumbar region. Skin scrapings were collected and a microscopic examination was conducted followed by a fungal culture that revealed a Trychophyton rubrum infection, an anthropophilic dermatophytosis agent. Oral terbinafine and topical eniconazole were used as a treatment for a period of 75 days and complete recovery was achieved. Epidemiological analysis revealed a dermatophytosis case in one of the carnivore section keepers a few weeks before the lesions were diagnosed in the sea lion.
Keywords: Dermatophytosis; Otaria byronia; Patagonian sea lion; Trychophyton rubrum; terbinafine; zoonosis.