Prospective Uncontrolled Interventional Study of Itraconazole and β-Glucans (Euglena gracilis) to Assess Safeness and Clinical Effectiveness in Cats with Cutaneous and Mucosal Sporotrichosis
by
, , and
André Felipe Pedrazzi Chacon
1, 
Anna Barreto Fernandes Figueiredo
1,
Jéssica Sepulveda Boechat
1,
Erica Guerino Reis
2,
Cindy Caroline dos Santos Honorato
1,
Maria Lopes Corrêa
1,
Sandro Antonio Pereira
1
and
Isabella Dib Ferreira Gremião
1,* 1
Laboratório de Pesquisa Clínica em Dermatozoonoses em Animais Domésticos (Lapclin-Dermzoo), Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas (INI), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro 21040-360, Brazil
2
Coordenação de Uma Só Saúde, Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia em Biomodelos (ICTB), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro 21040-360, Brazil
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Vet. Sci. 2025, 12(9), 830; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci12090830
Submission received: 16 July 2025
/
Revised: 25 August 2025
/
Accepted: 27 August 2025
/
Published: 28 August 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnosis and Treatment of Skin Diseases in Small Animals)
Simple Summary
Sporotrichosis is a fungal disease that affects both humans and cats, with a high occurrence in Brazil. Treating cats can be difficult because there are few effective drugs available, and the commonly used one does not always work well. In this study, 29 cats with sporotrichosis were treated with the usual drug (itraconazole) combined with a natural substance called beta-glucans, which may help the immune system. Most cats (about 72%) were cured within 10 weeks. Some cats had lesions in their noses and respiratory problems, which often makes treatment harder. A small number of cats did not get better or were lost to follow-up during the study, and side effects were rare. These results suggest that adding beta-glucans to itraconazole might help cats recover better and reduce side effects. This could improve care for cats with sporotrichosis and help prevent the spread of the disease.
Abstract
Brazil is an endemic region for both human and feline sporotrichosis, with Sporothrix brasiliensis being the main etiological agent. Currently, few effective antifungal agents are available for treating this mycosis in cats, and therapeutic studies remain limited. Itraconazole (ITZ) is the first-line drug; however, its effectiveness is variable. To evaluate the use of ITZ combined with β-glucans (Euglena gracilis) in feline sporotrichosis, a prospective, uncontrolled interventional study was conducted in 29 cats. Clinical cure was achieved in 21 animals (72.4%) with a median treatment duration of 10 weeks. Most of these cats presented with nasal region lesions, nasal mucosa involvement, and respiratory signs, which are commonly associated with poor therapeutic outcomes. Treatment failure occurred in 5 animals (17.2%), and 3 (10.3%) were lost to follow-up. No deaths were recorded during the study. Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) were observed in 2 cats (6.9%). These findings suggest that β-glucans may be a complementary strategy in the treatment of feline sporotrichosis, particularly in cases involving nasal lesions and respiratory signs, and may also contribute to the prevention of ADRs associated with conventional therapy.
Keywords:
Sporothrix; cats; therapy; itraconazole; β-glucans
