ReportWire

Tag: fungal infection

  • 6 Things to Know When Your Cat Has a Ringworm Infection | Animal Wellness Magazine

    6 Things to Know When Your Cat Has a Ringworm Infection | Animal Wellness Magazine

    [ad_1]

    Ringworm is a common infection cat parents must deal with. Luckily, there are steps you can take to protect yourself, your cat, and other family members. Here are the top six things to know about ringworm infections and how to deal with them.

    If you’re a cat parent and aren’t familiar with ringworm, consider yourself lucky! Ringworm is a common fungal infection that impacts cats. The name comes from the characteristic ring-shaped rash it causes, rather than a type of worm. In fact, this infection has nothing to do with worms at all! Ringworm infections are caused by fungi called dermatophytes, which are extremely common, so infections can happen easily. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or facing your first infection, these six tips will help you control and treat ringworm in cats!

    1. Any Cat Can Get Ringworm

    You often see ringworm infections in cats with weaker immune systems, such as kittens, seniors, and unhealthy feral cats. What’s more, long-haired cats get ringworm more often because it’s more difficult for them to groom themselves. However, any cat can get this infection.

    2. It’s Highly Infectious

    Ringworm isn’t usually a serious infection and is easily treatable, but it’s very infectious. You or your cat can get ringworm from coming into contact with an infected animal, person, bedding, or other objects.

    3. You Shouldn’t Pet a Cat with Ringworm (Because You Can Get It)

    Many species of ringworm are zoonotic, meaning you can get it from touching an infected cat (or vice versa). If you do need to handle a cat with ringworm, protect yourself by:

    • Covering any cuts or scrapes you have
    • Wearing gloves, long sleeves, and an apron
    • Washing your hands and clothes after handling the cat

    4. Quarantine a Cat with a Ringworm Infection

    Because ringworm is so contagious, it’s important to quarantine an infected cat to protect yourself and other two- and four-legged family members in the house. Isolation usually lasts between two and four weeks, though treatment typically lasts five to six weeks. Once your cat has started treatment, quarantine should continue until you get a negative result from a fungal culture that your veterinarian can take.

    5. You Must Clean Everything in Your Cat’s Environment

    Ringworm spores are invisible and persistent: You can’t see them with the naked eye, and they can lie dormant for years. As such, it’s important to wash everything you can and throw out/replace anything that can’t be washed. Here are some additional tips:

    • Wipe surfaces with a pet-friendly disinfectant (this does NOT include Lysol)
    • Steam clean or shampoo carpets and furniture
    • Wash food and water bowls with disinfectant soap
    • Vacuum and clean surfaces every couple of days
    • Wash your cat’s bedding, towels, your clothes, and cleaning cloths twice with bleach
    • Disinfect brushes and grooming tools

    6. Start Treatment Immediately

    Talk to your vet about whether your cat should be clipped or shaved. In terms of treatment, Banixx Pet Care and Banixx Medicated Shampoo are simple, affordable, and effective products that treat a ringworm infection. Safe for kittens, puppies, cats, dogs, and other animals, these gentle yet powerful products have anti-fungal properties that control and prevent the spread of ringworm while soothing itchy, painful skin.

    Visit Banixx to learn more!


    Animal Wellness is North America’s top natural health and lifestyle magazine for dogs and cats, with a readership of over one million every year. AW features articles by some of the most renowned experts in the pet industry, with topics ranging from diet and health related issues, to articles on training, fitness and emotional well being.

    [ad_2]

    Animal Wellness

    Source link

  • Vaccine Trial Shows Promise Against Candida Fungal Infection

    Vaccine Trial Shows Promise Against Candida Fungal Infection

    [ad_1]

    March 29, 2023 – Infection with the fungus Candida auris can be problematic for some and deadly for others, especially for people at higher risk due to advanced age or because they have a weakened immune system, called immunosuppression. A vaccine in development could offer hope. 

    The major problem is not necessarily the fungus itself but a lack of treatment options. C. auris is resistant to two of the three major categories of antifungal therapies, and in some cases all three. 

    “It’s the only true multidrug-resistant fungus that we have,” said Ashraf Ibrahim, PhD, an investigator at The Lundquist Institute in Torrance, CA. He is also senior author of a new study evaluating how well the monoclonal antibody vaccine from Vitalex Biosciences could work to prevent or treat these infections. 

    Although relatively rare, C. auris infections can lead to death for between 30% to 70% of those at higher risk, said Ibrahim, who is a founder of Vitalex and an infectious disease doctor at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. 

    “So you don’t need a scientist to explain how dangerous this thing is.”

    The CDC describes C. auris as an “urgent threat to public health.” C. auris infection primarily spreads in health care settings. The fungus is not airborne – so you don’t get it from someone sneezing or coughing. But it can survive on surfaces and on human skin.

    If the vaccine continues to show promise, it could someday be used to boost the immune protection of older people going into a nursing home, people treated with multiple antibiotics in a hospital, and those likely to need ICU care after a medical procedure. 

    Most Safe, for Now

    Public health officials want to boost surveillance for C. auris infections, Ibrahim said. Right now, people with healthy immune systems are not at higher risk unless they become vulnerable at some point. “If you do have any sort of immunosuppression, it really takes advantage of that and starts growing a lot — and then starts invading.”

    The vaccine was able to kill C. auris fungi when combined in lab experiments. The vaccine also reduced the production of a “biofilm” by 30% to 40%. A fungal biofilm is a barrier that can prevent antifungal treatments from entering an infected cell or organ. 

    In experiments with mice with C. auris infection, for example, the vaccine reduced fungi by 10 times in the kidneys and heart. This means there could be some protection against systemic bloodstream infections with C. auris, the researchers said. 

    Not the Only Fungus in the Family

    You might assume the monoclonal antibody vaccine is being developed directly against C. auris. However, that’s not the case. Scientists are designing the vaccine using Candida albicans, a more common fungus and the one responsible for a majority of yeast infections in healthy women.

    So why C. albicans? “We’re actually working on both right now, but we’re trying to get this vaccine to patients as soon as possible,” said Ibrahim. 

    C. auris infections were only identified relatively recently compared to C. albicans, which has been known for decades. Vitalex already had a program in progress to develop a dual antigen vaccine against C. albicans. When they compared the two fungi, they found they share specific cell surface proteins that can be targeted to prevent either fungus from attaching to and invading cells in the body. 

    “We said, ‘Well we have the dual antigen vaccine in hand. Why don’t we just try it in Candida auris and see if it protects?’” Ibrahim said. “And it’s clear that the vaccine actually works very well with Candida auris.”

    A Possible Role in Treatment

    The vaccine holds potential to not only prevent infection, but as a treatment used in combination with other antifungals in someone already infected with C. auris. In research on an earlier version of the vaccine, if the mice were vaccinated and also treated with an antifungal, there was a united, beneficial effect, Ibrahim said.

    “So pretty much like the COVID-19 story,” Ibrahim said. “If the vaccine doesn’t prevent the disease, then adding a treatment option can actually protect the person from dying.”

    Up next is a toxicity study in rabbits to evaluate the safety of the vaccine. After that, clinical trials in humans could follow.

    Still Early Days

    “Candida auris is a significant concern for a very specific population,” said Aaron Glatt, MD, chief of infectious diseases at Mount Sinai South Nassau in New York, when asked to comment. “For the vast majority of the population right now, that’s not a concern. But as public health officials and as infectious disease people, we have to very concerned about everybody,”

    “Certainly, the potential for this to become more widespread would put more people at potential risk,” added Glatt.

    Glatt advised caution in interpreting preliminary results like these. “It’s a very serious  public health concern … but it’s not something that everybody in the United States needs to think about every moment right now.”

    [ad_2]

    Source link