Current Thoughts on the Treatment of Malassezia in Canine Otitis Externa

Abstract

<p>Otitis externa is a commonly diagnosed disorder of canine patients (Rosser, 2004) and can be caused by a number of different factors including infection, allergy, foreign bodies and breed/ear conformation. Malassezia pachydermatis is a yeast which is found as a commensal on canine skin, but may also contribute to the development and perpetuation of the condition.</p><p>The aim of this paper was to assess current knowledge and approaches to the treatment of M. pachydermatis when found to be present in cases of canine otitis externa.</p><p>A literature search was carried out using PubMed database. Search terms Malassezia, dogs / canine, otitis and therapy/treatment/therapeutics were utilised. This identified 26 results from 2005 - 2015. Examination of these papers focussed the review to 11 papers that were clinically relevant. The excluded papers were either concerned with laboratory storage/growth of M. pachydermatis, did not include therapy of the condition, or focussed on other skin conditions.</p><p>Of the 11 papers deemed relevant to this study, only three were double blind, randomised controlled trials (Rougier et al, 2005, Bensignor & Grandemange, 2006, Hensel et al, 2009); one paper was a review of current literature relating to dermatology, including otitis externa (Bond, 2010) and the remainder were focussed on in vitro work with M. pachydermatis.</p><p>Many different therapeutics were used, namely thiabendazole, amphotericin B, itraconazole, ketoconazole, clotrimazole, miconazole, nystatin, chelating agents and various ear cleaners.</p><p>Within the controlled trials, a chelating agent was shown to improve therapeutic effectiveness of topical medication, combination therapy (antifungal, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory agents) was more effective than antifungal agent alone and no significant difference was noted when comparing combination therapies. A clear difference was found between different ear cleaners.</p><p>This review highlights the variety of different medications that can be used in the treatment of Malassezia otitis externa and the need for a greater number of robust clinical trials.</p><p>Find out more about <a href="http://www.girlingandfraser.co.uk/page4.htm" target="_blank">Mary</a>.</p><br /> <img src="https://www.veterinaryevidence.org/rcvskmod/icons/oa-icon.jpg" alt="Open Access" />