الفهرس 
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Abstract
Recently, fungal infections have been dramatically increased among human and animals. This may be due to the close physical contacts between them which leads to transmition of fungal pathogens, besides the emerge of antifungal drug resistance. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is the investigation of animal fungal identity in Alexandria city and its susceptability to antimycotic drugs to raise the public awerness to fungal infections and their consequences.
A total number of 300 clinical samples, 140 samples from cats include (80 ear swabs, 40 vaginal swabs, 20 hair and skin scraping), 110 samples from dogs include (50 ear swabs, 40 vaginal swabs and 20 hair and skin scraping), as well as 20 vaginal swabs from women (3 of them contacted with pet animals) and 30 hair and skin scraping from cows in private farms. Ear swabs, vaginal swabs, hair and skin scraping were collected from otitis, vaginitis, dermatophytosis cases, respectively. All the samples were subjected to mycological examination.
For isolation of fungi, the collected swabs were inoculated into SDB for (6hr-18hr) at (37°C). A loopful from the incubated inoculum was streaked on to SDA with chloramphenicol and incubated at 25 & 37°C for 2-7days. Yeasts identification, was carried out through macroscopic and microscopic morphology and biochemical identification.
In case of the isolated filamentous fungi were identified through the macroscopic and microscopic morphology.
In case of isolation of dermatophytes, the plucked hair was shorten then scattered and gently pressed on Dermatophytes test medium and Sabouraud’s dextrose agar with chloramphenicol (50mg/l) and cyclohexamid (Actedion ®) (500mg\l) and incubated at 30°C for two weeks up to one month.
Dermatophytes identification was carried out through the macroscopic, microscopic morphology and biochemical identification by urease test to the closely related species Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Trichophyton rubrum.
Polymerase chain reaction was carried out on 11 isolates of phenotypically identified C.albicans. 9 C.albicans isolates from vaginitis cases in which 3 from female cats, 3 from female dogs and 3 from pet animals’ owners were confirmed by PCR through the detection of ITS2-region which is specific for C.albicans. 2 isolates from 11 were negative and could be C.africana one of the phenotypically similar Candida species to C.albicans.
The nine C.albicans isolates from cats, dogs and women’s owners vaginitis cases were positive by multiplex PCR for HWP1 and ALS1 genes of biofilms except one isolate from vaginitis cases in female dogs was only positive for ALS1gene.
The quantification method of biofilm formation using tissue culture plate was performed on the nine C.albicans isolates. The produced biofilms were calculated and the result of calculation revealed that the biofilm formation by C.albicans from pet animals were strong except one was moderate in dogs’ C.albicans, as well as the human C.albicans isolates produced strong biofilm.
Tube adherence test was used as qualitative method for biofilm formation showed that all C.albicans isolates were strong positive.
Antifungal susceptibility tests were performed on the nine Candida albicans strains by using disk diffusion method on Sabouraud’s dextrose agar isolated from pet animals and contacted women from vaginitis cases were susceptible to voriconazole and nystatin except one strain in women, while all C.albicans isolates were resistant to clotrimazole.
Fluconazole showed various susceptibility in which C.albicans isolates from dogs, two isolates from cats and one isolate from human were sensitive, while it was resistant to one isolate from cats and two isolates from human.
In case of ketoconazole was intermediate for 3 isolates from women and one isolate from dogs, while resistance to 3 isolate from cats and 2 from dogs’ isolates.
In itraconizole one strain from cat was sensitive and the other two strains were resistant, while in human all C.albicans strains were sensitive. In case of dogs ’isolates two strains were intermediate and one was resistant.
Furthermore, all C.albicans strains from female human and dogs were resistance to amphotericin B, while one isolate from cats was intermediate and two isolates were resistant.
In case of dermatophytes isolation from cats, dogs and cattle which were phenotypically identified.
The results of dermatophytes isolation revealed that from 30 hair and skin scraping samples from different cows; 2 Microsporum gypsum, 3 Trichophyton mentagrophytes and 1 Trichophyton rubrum were recovered.
from 20 hair and skin scraping from different cats only 4 Microsporum canis, 1 Microsporum gypseum, were identified. Finally, from 20 hair and skin scraping from different dogs 1 Microsporum canis, 2 Microsporum gypseum, 1 Trichophyton mentagrophytes were isolated
Five isolates from fifteen dermatophytes (3 from M.canis and 2 M.gypsem) isolated from cats, dogs and cows were randomly obtained to test against azole antifungal agents (fluconazole, ketoconazole, itraconazole and clotrimazole) by using disk diffusion method. All the tested dermatophytes nearly similar in the susceptibility against the tested antifungal agents. M.canis and M.gypseum were resistant to fluconazole showing no zone of inhibition, while all of them show susceptibility against ketoconazole, itraconazole and clotrimazole. However, M.gypseum isolates showed intermediate effect to itraconazole.
from those results it was found that various fungi were isolated from ear and vaginal infections in pet animals that could have the potentiality to transfer from animals to human and vise verse, in addition to the increase of the incidence of antifungal drug resistance of the isolated fungi.