Economic efficiency of different treatment schemes of cats microsporia

Abstract

The most common fungal skin disease in animals is microsporia; the principal causative agent is the fungus Microsporum canis. The disease is of fungal etiology and highly contagious. The pathogen can stay in the environment for a long time and pose a risk of human infection. Cats, especially those walking on the street, are a significant factor in transmitting the infection. Spores of Microsporum canis can persist on the surface of the cat's body for a long time and, under favorable conditions, can provoke clinical manifestations of the disease. Under these circumstances, they are intensively distributed in the environment. Therefore, choosing the optimal therapeutic approach to solving this problem is essential. Treatment of sick animals should be practical and aimed at preventing the spread of the pathogen and cost-effective and beneficial to both veterinary specialists and owners of sick cats, as the duration of treatment is on average 14–21 days in order to determine the cost-effectiveness of treatment of microsporia in cats with the antifungal agent “Micromar” and immunostimulant “Biogluk” in comparison with other schemes, the calculation of the cost-effectiveness ratio CER. This made it possible to obtain accurate and complete data, as it took into account the cost of treatment and the number of animals that recovered during the complex therapy. Sick animals were divided into three groups. Each sick animal received treatment for 21 days. The first group was treated with the systemic antifungal itraconazole and treated with a 1 % solution of clotrimazole. The second group was vaccinated twice with Vakderm antifungal vaccine and treated daily with a topical antifungal agent (1 % clotrimazole solution). The third group used the antifungal agent “Micromar” and immunostimulant “Biogluk”. To control the quality of therapy, culture was performed on the nutrient medium for dermatophytes from the affected areas of the animal's body. The calculation of cost-effectiveness indicators showed that the treatment of cats with microsporia is effective in all groups of studied animals, as recovery occurred in each patient. However, the costs of therapy are different. In particular, in the first group, the CER coefficient is – 48.00 hryvnias, in the second – 42.00 hryvnias, in the third – 13.00 hryvnias.