Question:
I posted here a few months back about a ringworm saga involving a new kitten. To try and make a long story short, he tested positive and was treated for eight weeks with miconazole nitrate until the lesions were totally healed. He was also kept in isolation. He was reintroduced into the environment around week 10 and has been living with us and two other cats [who have shown no outwardly signs of ringworm] for about six months.

During that time, my nine year-old son has had sporadic ringworm patches primarily on his back that disappear with treatment and then pop up again. To my horror, I found ringworm on his scalp today and while I know that I can take him to the dr. and have an oral med prescribed, I am at a loss as to what to do about the bigger picture.

If my son gets "cured" by the oral med, is he going to get reinfected by the cat(s)? I know that cats can silently carry the ringworm. What is the reinfection rate among cats and children? The vet was very resistant to giving the cat an oral med and I supported that view, but are there any other options? I can disinfect until the cows come home, but unless I remove the cats from our home, I see no total way of removing ringworm from our home.

Dare I ask, but does anyone have experience with this?

Please help! Thank you!

Answer:
I would put the ringworm carrier cat back in isolation, shave him down completely, start back with the ringworm treatment as if he had active spots (I'd use Imaverol), totally clean and clean and clean the house, get rid of anything that can trap infected hair and cannot be disinfected, and then work on building your son's immune system. If this really does not go away, one thing is sure, you cannot send the cat anywhere else.

I really feel for you. Ringworm can be a nightmare... :(

Answer:
Boy oh boy, have I had experience with Ringworm!!

About 4 years ago I brought home a stray persian kitten and she happened to have ringworm. At the time, I had 4 dogs, eight cats and 3 kids who all had friends come over on a regular basis. The only animals that caught it were the mix yorkie I was fostering for a local shelter and two of my cats. The vet said this was because most of my animals were older and simply had a resistance to it. Unfortunately, I don't remember exactly what the meds were, I think it was Advantage or Revolution and I treated all my animals even if they didn't have it. That went well. I remember feeling overwhelmed with the thoughts of the spores being everywhere and that it could reoccur months and months later. It seemed like an losing battle.

However, the kids were another story! My son who was the youngest got it the worst. He had spots all over is belly and back which really wasn't a problem to treat with cream. It was a little embarrassing when my kids friends brought it home!:(

After about a month of treating everyone with meds and shampoos (Hibitane for the dogs) and creams, my son started getting dry patches on his scalp. And then wherever there was a dry patch, the hair would fall out with it. It was a mess!! I took him to the clinic and they did the test with the light and told me it wasn't ringworm and gave me some dry scalp shampoo which did nothing. So I went the the Montreal Childrens Hospital and he was followed for about 3 months and they still weren't convinced it was ringworm because the scrapings and the black neon light tests were negative. They decided to treat him for it anyways with huge orange pills which the poor guy had so much trouble with twice a day and it finally cleared up. I can still see the scars on his scalp when I part his hair . The funny thing is the doctor kept denying it was Ringworm of the scalp because apparently it is very rare to get it there, but I have no doubt it was...........

Whatever you do, don't panic. It's just a fungal infection (actually the same family as the fungus that causes athletes feet). It's very treatable especially with all the great meds out there. But don't let the doctors tell you it's something else because from what you tell me, it sounds exactly like what my son had! Good luck!!

Answer:
And none of my animals or children ever had another outbreak once the treatments were finished. It has been over 4 years so I think we're OK!!

Answer:
In thinking through this again, I realized that my son's ringworm has never truly gone away because he has not taken anything to kill it off systemically, and the scalp infestation is likely his original infection going to the next level. My biggest hope is once the med gets rid of it for good, he'll have the ability to fight it off, should a second occurrence come around. The cats "appear" to be fine, but unless I am willing to also treat them systemically, there is always going to be a risk factor.

I think I'm also going to start treating them with Program again, though I know this is somewhat of a shot in the dark. And we will begin a more vigilant system of using the Selsun Blue, extreme cleaning, etc. that we can continue even after the medication is finished, just as precautions.

Thanks again!

Answer:
I may be wrong about this (I'm sure someone will correct me if I am), but I'm pretty sure Revolution, Advantage, and Program don't treat ringworm. You need prescription stuff from the doc (for humans) or from the vet to get rid of it. I have found with my cats that the best way to get rid of it was with oral medication (Griseofulvin); I have used topical creams on them before but it can be difficult to completely cover all the spots because of their fur. I had a hard time getting rid of it this way with one of my kittens.

The good thing about ringworm is that most people and pets don't get it more than once, so if you can get rid of it for good it is unlikely to return. It is also self limiting, meaning that eventually it will go away on it's own, however it can take months to run it's course. Keep applying the topical treatment to your son's patches of ringworm. It is important that he washes his hands after applying the cream and that he not touch the spots except to put the cream on. It is really easy to spread it to other parts of the body just by touching it. Your son should also have no contact with the infected cat until it's gone, and clean his bed sheets daily. Hope that helps, and good luck!

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