English

Abstract

  Ringworm is a fungal and zoonotic infectious disease, caused by different species of dermatophytes. Lesions of ringworm are usually found on the head, muzzle, ears, neck, and particularly, around the eyes of the infected animals. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of cattle ringworm in native farms of Sarab city in Iran. A total number of 1150 cattle in native dairy farms of Sarab city were examined in this study from July 2007 till June 2008. The animals were classified into two age groups of less than 2 years and more than 2 years.  Each animal was thoroughly examined for skin ringworm lesions, then, microscopic and culture examinations were carried out on samples obtained from ringworm lesions of infected animals. According to the results of this study among 1150 cattle, 188 of them (16.34%) were clinically positive for skin ringworm lesions. After microscopic and culture examinations, 150 animals (13.04%) were confirmed for dermatophyte infections. Trichophyton verrucosum was isolated in 100% of positive samples. The prevalence of ringworm among cattle less than 2 years and more than 2 years were 15 and 9% respectively, which showed significant difference between them. This study is the first research on the prevalence of cattle ringworm in Sarab city which indicated the relatively high prevalence of the disease and revealed the dominant role of T. verrucosom in cattle ringworm.   Key words: Ringworm, dermatophyte, cattle, Sarab.