PCR IDENTIFICATION OF TRICHOPHYTON-MENTAGROPHYTES VAR. INTERDIGITALE AND T-MENTAGROPHYTES VAR. MENTAGROPHYTES DERMATOPHYTES WITH A RANDOM PRIMER

Dermatophytes are a group of keratinophilic fungi falling within the g enera of Epidermophyton, Microsporum and Trichophyton. The genus Trich ophyton is particularly important and complex; it comprises at least 1 5 recognised species. In addition, there are several different variant s in the species T. mentagrophytes, which occur both in man and animal s. The current methods of determining T. mentagrophytes varieties may require several different culture media and time-consuming procedures, as well as specialist skills. This study used a random primer, 5'-GAG CCCGACT-3', in the arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction (AP-PC R) and showed that the two common T. mentagrophytes varieties (var. in terdigitale and var. mentagrophytes) can be clearly identified on the basis of their characteristic DNA band patterns. The relative reproduc ibility, ease of use and precision of this method make the AP-PCR a va luable tool in the laboratory diagnosis of human dermatophytosis.