Phaeohyphomycotic dermatitis in a giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) caused by Cladosporium cladosporioides

Xiaoping Ma; Yu Gu; Xiaomin Liu; Desheng Li; Shanshan Ling; Jiafa Hou; Chengdong Wang; Sanjie Cao; Xiaobo Huang; Xintian Wen; Jiaxue Ruan; Cao Dong; Changcheng Li; Yufei Tong

doi:10.1016/j.mmcr.2013.05.003

Phaeohyphomycotic dermatitis in a giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) caused by Cladosporium cladosporioides

Med Mycol Case Rep. 2013 Jun 6:2:119-21. doi: 10.1016/j.mmcr.2013.05.003.

Authors

Xiaoping Ma¹, Yu Gu², Xiaomin Liu³, Desheng Li³, Shanshan Ling⁴, Jiafa Hou⁵, Chengdong Wang³, Sanjie Cao⁶, Xiaobo Huang⁶, Xintian Wen⁶, Jiaxue Ruan², Cao Dong⁶, Changcheng Li⁶, Yufei Tong⁶

Affiliations

¹ College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China ; College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an 625014, China ; Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an 625014, China.
² College of Life and Basic Sciences, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an 625014, China.
³ College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an 625014, China ; China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Ya'an, Sichuan 625000, China.
⁴ China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Ya'an, Sichuan 625000, China.
⁵ College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.
⁶ College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an 625014, China ; Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an 625014, China.

Abstract

We report here a clinical case of phaeohyphomycosis in an 18-year-old male giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). Skin lesions on the giant panda disappeared following 2 months of treatment with ketoconazole. Three months after discontinuing the treatment, there was a clinical and mycological relapse. The disease progression was no longer responsive to ketoconazole. Microscopy and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis revealed that the infection was caused by Cladosporium cladosporioides. A 4-month treatment regime with Itraconazole oral solution (700 mg per day) successfully terminated the infection.

Keywords: Cladosporium cladosporioides; Itraconazole; Phaeohyphomycosis; Polymerase chain reaction.