Ringworm Infections in Rats

Despite its name, ringworm is actually not a worm, but a fungal organism that infects the skin, feeding off of keratin, the material that makes up the skin, nails and hair of the body.

The set of fungi that cause ringworm in rats are from a class of fungi called deuteromycetes, with Tricopyton mentragrophytes being the primary fungus that is responsible for cases of ringworm infection in rats, though they can be infected by other fungal species as well. Ringworm is a zoonotic infection, meaning that the infected rat is contagious to other animals and to people. Unless care is taken in handling an infected rat, the ringworm infection can easily spread to humans and other household animals.

Symptoms and Types

Usually rats that are infected by the ringworm fungus never show symptoms apart from the skin lesions, which will vary from mild spots of hair loss to marked hair loss with thick scaly skin. Other symptoms may include:

• Reddened skin
• Irritated skin
• Flaky skin
• Itching

Causes

Ringworm infection often spreads through direct contact with infected animals or humans, but it may also be spreadh via contaminated bedding, litter, and cage supplies.

Diagnosis

Your veterinarian will perform a thorough physical exam on your rat, taking into account the background history of symptoms and possible incidents that might have led to this condition, such as contact with other animals, or even with other people. A microscopic examination of skin scrapings taken from the infected area may also be done to confirm the visual diagnosis.