Treatment of experimental dermatophytosis in guinea pigs: a comparative study of bifonazole and a bifonazole-hydrocortisone combination.

Five groups of ten guinea pigs infected with Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. mentagrophytes were evaluated in a blind study to investigate the advantages of incorporating hydrocortisone with bifonazole for the treatment of dermatophytosis. One group contained the untreated animals and the other groups were treated daily with: bifonazole alone, hydrocortisone alone, bifonazole/hydrocortisone combination or vehicle alone. The mycological, clinical and histopathological progression of the disease was monitored for three weeks. The two groups receiving the antifungal were the most impressive clinically. This was confirmed mycologically and although there was evidence of fungus on histological examination, the stratum corneum showed signs of recovery. In the three groups not receiving antifungal therapy the infection did not resolve by the end of the treatment period. Animals from these groups were mycologically positive throughout the treatment period and histological examination showed proliferation of the fungus. The groups were ranked in descending order as bifonazole/hydrocortisone combination, bifonazole alone, hydrocortisone alone, vehicle alone, untreated control.