Abstract

Ringworm caused by dermatophytes is a contagious fungal infection that affects the skin of animals, the quality of hides and skin in slaughtered animals, and eventual damage to the leather produced. The dermatophytosis associated with slaughtered animal skin suspected with alopecia was studied. Fifty raw goats and sheep skins were collected from both slaughtered sheep and goats at Kano Central Abattoir using aseptic methods. The samples were analysed using standard mycological techniques for isolation and identification; the fungal load was enumerated using hematocytometry. The overall prevalence of dermatophytosis out of 50 analysed samples was found to be 4 (8%), whereas alopecia due to non-dermatophytes accounted for 46 (92%), and the sheep skin samples were found to harbour more fungal load 3 (75%) compared to those of goat skin 1 (25%). The overall fungal load ranges between 3 × 105 to 4.3 ×105 spores/mL. The species of isolated dermatophytes include Trichophyton verrucosum, Microsporum nanum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, and Trichophyton rubrum. Dermatophytes are among the primary culprits in the causation of animal alopecia. The fungal load was found to be more pronounced in sheep's skin than in goats' skin. The prevalence of dermatophytosis in goats and sheep skins was relatively low in the study area, and the alopecia observed on the skins may be caused by other underlying veterinary medical conditions, such as trauma and nutrient deficiency.