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MalasseziaKitIn-house screening test for the detection of Malassezia infection in cats and dogs

Malassezia yeasts in skin diseases of the dog and catMalassezia yeasts are unicellular organisms that do not form mycelium and reproduce by budding. The Malassezia genus includes 13 species of which 10 species are officially recog-nized and described. All Malassezia species are lipodependent, except for Malassezia pachy-dermatis, which is generally lipophilic.

Malassezia pachydermatis is the most commonly found species on mucosal areas and skin of dogs and cats. This yeast is a part of the commensal microflora; however it can become pathogenic under certain conditions and cause external otitis and severe itchy dermatitis.

The differential diagnosis is very wide and evaluation of the symptoms is complicated because Malassezia in-fections are often accompanied or caused by the diseases the differential diagnosis is based on. These include atopy, flea allergy, adverse reactions to food, superficial pyoderma, endocrine and other metabolic disorders that can promote the overgrowth of Malassezia.

Predisposing factors include also humid climate and warm seasons, as well as the presence of skin folds and alterations of the stratum corneum.

The therapy is currently based on topical and systemic treatments with disinfectants and antifungal active principles. Antifungal therapy, however, is long (4-10 weeks), very expensive and with serious side effects such as hepatotoxicity, gastrointestinal disorders and teratogenicity.

Moreover, a possible resistance of M. pachydermatis to some antifungal drugs has been reported and the cause seems to be due to previous incorrect therapies.

Timely and targeted detection is therefore fundamental to start the correct therapy and avoid expensive and non-specific treatments that can lead to worsening of symptoms and relapses.

Diagnosis of Malassezia dermatitis and otitis is made by clinical examination and, in clinical practice, by cytol-ogy which is very specific, but not very sensitive (30%).

The culture test can become the test of choice. This is the only one that can confirm the results of the cyto-logical examination or the hypothesis of infection, if the results of the cytological examination are negative. Moreover, the culture test allows for:

easy identification of the microorganism. The procedures for cytologi-cal examination are simplified and only a small incubator must be available

reliable diagnosis. Since inoculation can occur immedi-ately after sampling, no prolonged storage of the sample in the fridge is necessary, which might affect the vitality of Mal-assezia yeast

typization of the pathogenic species and prompt identification of the most appropriate therapy

PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS:Appearance: Upright glass bottle with screw-cap lid

Culture response: M. pachydermaits, M. furfur, M. sympodialis, M. globosa, M. obtusa

Required sample: Hair or skin scraping, ear wax

Incubation: At +32°C for 5 days

Results*: M. pachydermatis: large, smooth from pink to violet with halo M. furfur: large, wrinkled pale pink, without halo M. globosa: small, smooth, violet with halo M. sympodialis: large, smooth, pale pink with halo M. obtusa: medium, wrinkled, pink, without halo

Storage: At room temperature or refrigerated

Shelf life: 12 months when stored in a refrigerator 6 months when stored at room temperature

* Neither bacterial contamination nor contamination by dermato-phytes or saprophytes is possible

The growth of Candida spp. whose colonies range from green to blue is possible

References:Revised Culture-Based System for Identification of Malassezia SpeciesTakamasa Kaneko, Koichi Makimura, Michiko Abe, Ryoko Shiota, Yuka Naka-mura, Rui Kano, Atsuhiko Hasegawa, Takashi Sugita, Shuichi Shibuya, Shinichi Watanabe, Hideyo Yamaguchi, Shigeru Abe and Noboru Okamura - J. Clin. Mi-crobiol. November 2007 vol. 45 no. 11 3737-3742Characterization of Malassezia spp. in oral cavity of dogTakao Yoshikawa - Int J Oral Med Sci 7(2):72-76, 2008I lieviti del genere Malassezia nelle malattie dermatologiche del cane e del gatto - Colombo S. - Veterinaria, Anno 21, n. 4, 25-31 Agosto 2007Occurrence and population size of Malassezia spp. in the external ear ca-nal of dogs and cats both healthy and with otitis. Cafarchia C , Gallo S., Capelli G:, Otranto D. - Mycopathologia Sep;160(2):143-9 2005Assessment of the antifungal susceptibility of Malassezia pachydermatis in various media using a CLSI protocol.Cafarchia C, Fiueredo LA, Otranto D. - Medical Mycology Nov. 2013, 51, 863-867

Agrolabo MalasseziaKit MalasseziaKit is a practical, reliable and ready-for use screening tool which further expands the Agrolabo portfolio of dermatological tests.

In comparison with the conventional culture media, MalasseziaKit offers the possibility to identify and differ-entiate not only Malassezia pachydermatis, but also other lipodependent Malassezia species in dogs and cats: M. furfur, M. sympodialis, M. globosa and M. obtusa, both individually or in combination.

MalasseziaKit employs a specific chromogenic substrate which reacts with specific yeast enzymes and causes rounded and smooth pink, dark pink or purple colonies to form.

The colonies generally begin to grow after 48 hours from the inoculation of the sample and test results can be clearly and visually interpreted thanks to the chromogenic staining without additional laboratory instru-mentation.

Colonies grown on MalasseziaKit

Biopronix Product Line by Agrolabo S.p.A.HEAD OFFICE, LABORATORIES AND PRODUCTION CENTRE:

Via Masero 59 - 10010 Scarmagno (TO) Italy - Tel. +39 0125 731111 - Fax +39 0125 731190E-mail:agrolabo@agrolabo.it - www.agrolabo.it

MalasseziaKitIn-house screening test for the detection of Malassezia infection in cats and dogs

R0-05/04/2016

QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ISO 9001: 2008