ISOZYME VARIATION OF MICROSPORUM-CANIS AND M-COOKEI FROM NEW-ZEALAND

Fifty-four isolates of Microsporum canis (Arthroderma otae) from human s, cats and dogs obtained from Auckland, Palmerston North and Wellingt on, New Zealand and 18 M. cookei and two Diheterospora spp. from soils were examined for variation: using eight isozyme loci. M. canis isola tes were from infected and non-infected cases. Isozyme analysis separa ted the three species which were further subdivided into electrophoret ic types (ETs). Clustering analysis using normalized percentage disagr eement (PTC) average linkage method revealed two clusters for M. cooke i with two subclusters in cluster 2. M. canis had three main divisions (clusters 3, 4 and 5) and Diheterospora formed a separate division. T he presence of isolates from different sources in the same clusters an d lack of statistical significance as measured by confidence intervals suggests the existence of isolates with common lineage.