Demodicosis Flashcards
What is demodicosis?
- Inflammatory skin disease caused by the follicular mite Demodex canis
- Disease state where the mites are prsent in much larger numbers
Where is Demodex canis usually found?
- Normal habitant of skin/hair follicles generally found in small numbers in healthy animals
Is Demodex canis contagious?
- No
is Demodex canis pruritic?
- Not considered pruritic, but it can cause pruritus
Where does Demodex spend its entire life?
- On the skin of the host
Where is Demodex typically found on the skin of the host?
- Hair follicles and occasionally in the sebaceous glands
What are the life stages of Demodex (and # of legs for each)?
- Fusiform eggs
- Six-legged larvae
- Eight-legged nymphs
- Eight-legged adults
How long is the life cycle for Demodex?
- 20-35 days
How are Demodex mites transmitted?
- Spread from bitch to puppies in the first 3 days after birth
- Nursing provides direct contact for transmission
- Not transmitted or considered very difficult to transfer to dogs older than a few days old
- Mites are not found in puppies born via C-section and raised away from the mother (i.e. in utero transmission does not occur)
Why do demodex mites proliferate in some dogs (juvenile onset generalized disease)?
- Gene defect that is considered hereditary
- Thought to be autosomal recessive
What is thought to be underlying cause of generalized demodicosis in adults (and could be juveniles too)?
- Probably T-cell defect
- Somehow a depressed immune system
- Think disease or drugs!
Predisposing factors for demodicosis
- Age
- Breed
- Poor nutrition
- Estrus
- Parturition
- Ectoparasites
- Stress
Clinical lesions of demodicosis?
- Alopecia (patchy/moth-eaten to complete)
- Erythema
- Comedomes
- Papules
- Pustules
- Crusts
- Draining tracts
- Epidermal collarettes
- Nodules
What are the two variants of demodex?
- D. cornei (D. canis)
- D. injai
Is demodicosis easy to cure?
- No
- OWNER FRUSTRATION IS BIG
What do demodex mites feed off of?
- Follicular cells
- Sebum
- Epidermal debris
What can cause the pruritus with demodex?
- Secondary pyoderma
- Possible hypersensitivity
Does D. canis survive off the host?
- No
Differentials for folliculitis?
- Demodex
- Bacterial pyoderma
- Dermatophytosis
What happens when demodex causes hair follicles to rupture or get irritated?
- Folliculitis and furunculosis –> deep pyoderma
- Secondary pyoderma develops
How do you categorize demodex?
- Localized vs generalized
- If generalized, juvenile onset vs adult onset
Localized demodicosis clinical signs
- 1 to several areas
- Patchy alopecia
- Erythema
- Scales
- No to minimal pruritus
- Face, forelegs
- Usually 6 or fewer indicates localized; greater than 12 is indicative of generalized disease
Demodectic pododermatitis
- Can be present on the feet of dogs without generalized lesions
When is the juvenile onset for localized democisosis?
- Typically 3-6 months of age (<1 year usually)
Cause of juvenile onset for localized democisosis?
- Immature immune system possibly
Progression of juvenile onset for localized democisosis?
- Rarely progresses to generalized form
- Up to 90% spontaneously heal without treatment
Treatment of juvenile onset for localized democisosis?
- Again, up to 90% spontaneously heal without treatment
Is juvenile onset for localized democisosis a genetic defect?
- Not generally, if it resolves
How quickly can hair re-grow for juvenile onset for localized democisosis?
Usually within 30 days
Clinical sites that can be affected for democisosis
- Face
- Periocular area
- Commissures of the mouth
- Forelegs
- Trunk
- Rear legs
- Paws (demodectic pododermatitis)
- Bilateral ceruminous otitis
Do we treat localized form of demodicosis with miticidal drugs, and why or why not?
- NO because you need to see if it will progress if you are planning on breeding the dog
- If it does progress, that would be an indication that you shouldn’t breed this dog
- Unless they are spayed or neutered and don’t have to see if it’s going to resolve or not
Monitoring and treatment for localized demodicosis
- Wait and monitor monthly
- If it resolves, no genetic defect
- If it progresses to generalized, then there is a genetic defect and the animal should not be bred
When does juvenile generalized demodicosis present?
- Starts <18 months of age
What characterizes juvenile generalized demodicosis?
- Many localized lesions (maybe greater than 6-12)
- Involves head, trunk, leg, 2+ feet
Juvenile generalized demodicosis clinical signs
- Large aras of alopecia
- Erythema
- crusts
- Papules
- Hyperpigmentation
- Comedomes
- Pustules
- Epidermal collarettes
Clinical signs of concurrent pyoderma?
- Papules, pustules, epidermal collaretteS
- Crusts, exudate
- Pain
- Pruritus
- Lymphadenopathy
- Systemic illness
- Sepsis
Generalized demodicosis pododermatitis
- What is involved?
- How to diagnose?
- Complications?
- may have feet involvement
- Usually complicated by secondary infections
- Can occur with body lesions
- Difficult to scrape and treat (may consider hair plucks)
Where should you scrape for demodicosis?
- Scrape at the comedomes
Summary of the features of juvenile onset generalized demodicosis
- Starts as localized
- <1 year age
- GENETIC predisposition
- Hence, DO NOT BREED these animals
When does adult onset generalized demodicosis tend to occur?
- Usually >4.5 years
- Rare
What diagnostic test should you run on all old dogs with pyoderma?
- Skin scraping
What should you look for with older dogs with generalized demodicosis?
- UNDERLYING DISEASE OR DRUGS
- e.g. hypothyroidism, iatrogenic HAC, neoplasia, etc.
- > 50% have no underlying cause
What underlying diseases can contribute to generalized democisosis in adults?
- Excessive corticosteroid use
- Endocrinopathies (hyperadrenocorticism or hpothyroidism)
- Parasitism
- Neoplasia
- Poor nutrition
What diagnostics should be run for adult generalized demodicosis?
- CBC/Chem/UA
- Heartworm and fecal checks
- T4/TSH
- ACTH stim or LDDST
- Radiographs +/- U/S for neoplasia
Why should you look for underlying disease with adult generalized demodicosis?
- You’re more likely to be successful if you find and treat the underlying disease
What drugs can contribute to generalized democisosis in adults?
- Apoquel
- Prednisone
- Chemotherapeutics
What are the two primary methods to diagnose demodex?
- Skin scrapings (multiple)
- Hair plucks
- Could also do a fecal float
Equipment needed for skin scrapings?
- # 10 blade
- Mineral oil
- Slides and cover
- Microscope
Where do you perform hair plucks?
- Near eyes and feet
Sensitivity of hair plucks compared to skin scrapings?
- About 50%
How do you perform skin scrapings?
- Want blood on your blade
- Squeeze affected skin to extrude mites from hair follicles
- Minimum of 3 scrapes from lesional skin
Microscope tricks to view demodex?
- 10x objective and lower your condenser
Where do you perform skin scrapings ideally?
- Scrape over comedomes
What would histopathology findings show with generalized demodicosis?
- Folliculitis/furunculosis +/- mites
Which breeds may need a biopsy to diagnose demodicosis?
- Chinese Shar Peis, Old English sheepdogs, Scottish terriers
- May require a biopsy to diagnose demodicosis
What should you never use to treat demodicosis?
- CORTICOSTEROIDS
How to treat secondary bacterial pyoderma for localized disease (either intact or spayed animals)?
- Oral antibiotics
- Topical treatment (2-4% chlorhexidine
or Mupirocin ointment) - Benzyl peroxide (follicular flushing properties and antibacterial/anti-staph properties)
- Gel or shampoo, but shampoo is drying
Goodwinol ointment for treating localized demodicosis?
- don’t use
General treatment principles for localized demodicosis
- Optimize health (improve nutrition and deworm)
- Treat secondary pyoderma (oral antibiotics and topical treatments like benzoyl peroxide or chlorhexidine)
- Recheck dog and rescrape in 3-4 weeks