Prevalence of Malassezia pachydermatis in atopic dogs-50 cases

Abstract The presence of M. pachydermatis was investigated in 192 skin and ear samples originated from 50 dogs with atopic dermatitis. Correlation of M. pachydermatis isolation with age, sex, breed, living condition, onset of symptoms of atopic dermatitis (AD), intradermal test (IDT) results and sampling site was analyzed. M. pachydermatis was isolated from 49 samples (29 from the ears and 20 from skin). Greater number of isolates was noted in purebred dogs (29.8%) compared to the cross breeds (8.1%) (p<0.05). No statistically significant difference was found in the number of isolates between ear and skin samples (29.6% and 21.3%, respectively). Yeast isolation was more frequently noted from ear than from skin samples in dogs over 3 years of age, and in dogs with autumn and winter onset of symptoms. Out of 29 isolates from the ears, 28 (98.5%) originated from purebred dog samples (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference noted considering the otitis presence. However, this yeast was more commonly isolated from purebred dogs in a group without otitis (p<0.05). More frequent isolation was noted from leg and paw samples than from groin and hip samples in male dogs; while in dogs over 3 years of age, more frequent isolation was noted from ear samples than from groin and hip samples (p=0.05). In dogs with positive IDT to house dust and house dust mite, M. pachydermatis was more present in leg and paw than in groin and hip samples (p<0.05). Key words: dogs, atopic dermatitis, Malassezia pachydermatis