Comparison of the therapeutic effects of origanum vulgare essence with the ketoconazole 2% cream in cats infected by microsporum canis

For centuries Herbal medicines have been used to treat various diseases in many societies. Among of them essences have well known properties. The essence of Origanum vulgare have been shown to possess effects like as antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, carminative, antispasmodic and analgesic activities. In this study, the Ketoconazole 2% antifungal cream drug and Origanum vulgare essence were used to treat dermatophytosis induced by Microsporum canis in an experiment on cats. The 36 healthy domestic short hair male cats were divided in 3 groups randomly for clinical evaluation. As the following, Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Origanum vulgare essence was detected at 0/19 μl/ml. The treatment started 5 days after infection as 12 hours’ regimen and was considered until 40 days’ post infection. Patients in both Ketoconazole 2% cream and Origanum vulgare essence groups had completed cure at day 40. Results discussions show that the Origanum vulgare essence similar to Ketoconazole 2% cream is an effective drug to treat Microsporum canis induced dermatophytosis.