FARMINGTON – The Franklin County Animal Shelter is closed to the public until Dec. 1 because of at least one case of ringworm, shelter manager Patty Lovell said Wednesday.

“It’s just a precaution as one kitten has tested positive for ringworm,” she said. “I decided to shut down for three weeks as we’re making sure the community (of animals) is safe.”

Lovell said the fungal disease is not deadly, but it’s difficult to get rid of and it’s contagious to humans.

The staff needs to go through the rest of the kittens and take cultures to test for ringworm, she said. The building also has to be washed. The kittens are being treated with a rather “untasty medication.”

The shelter will continue to accept stray animals but is closed to the public, she said.

“We’ve only seen it in the one kitten but we’re just starting to run cultures. It’s a good thing we caught it,” Lovell said.

In 2004, the shelter was shut down for nearly three months when a litter of kittens came to the shelter with ringworm. Despite treating the litter and the shelter’s staff efforts to keep the area clean, another batch of kittens at the shelter got ringworm, forcing the staff to shut the doors from February into April. A total of nine kittens were affected.

The disease doesn’t really go after healthy animals, it goes after the ones with a weaker immune system, Lovell said.

The infection produces a circular red spot with raised edges. The most common method of spreading it is contact with infected hair because hair is covered with spores that could become airborne and tend to remain in environments, according Newman Veterinary Medical Services’ Web site.

With a targeted opening date of Dec. 1, the shelter will continue to plan for its annual pet photos with Santa planned for Dec. 13. A fundraiser for the shelter, photos of pets and children are taken with Santa. If the shelter is unable to reopen in time, Lovell plans to find an alternate location for the event.