THE FIRST ISOLATION OF ARTHRODERMA-BENHAMIAE IN JAPAN

A clinical isolate of Trichophyton mentagrophytes from rabbit was exam ined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis and a mating experime nt. The species-specific primers designed from the nucleotide sequence s of the chitin synthase 1 (CHS1) gene in the teleomorph of Arthroderm a benhamiae amplified a fragment from genomic DNA samples of A, benham iae and the clinical isolate but not from those of A. simii and A. van breuseghemii. On the other hand, the species-specific primers of A. si mii and A. vanbreuseghemii did not amplify any fragment from the genom ic DNA of the clinical isolates, When the isolate was respectively cro ssed with (+) or (-) tester strains of A. benhamiae, A, simii and A. v anbreuseghemii, ascospores were produced in the crossing with the A. b enhamiae (+) strain. Therefore, the isolate was identified to be A, be nhamiae (-), confirming the result of molecular analysis. This is the first report on the isolation of A, benhamiae in Japan.