During a six-year period from 2000 to 2006, 257 animal samples (fur and skin desquamation) were submitted to mycological examination in the Laboratory of Microbiology at the Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal. Dermathophytes were cultured from 38 of 257 (14.8%) specimens. Chi-squared test was used to compare differences between independent groups. The most frequent isolated dermathophyte was Microsporum canis (47.4%). Other isolated dermathophytes were: Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. mentagrophytes (31.5%), Microsporum gypseum (15.8%), and Microsporum nanum (5.3%). The rates of dermathophytes isolation were 8.4% in dogs; 21.3% in cats; 66.7% in rabbits; and in 11.1% in horses.
dermathophytes; domestic animals; diagnosis; isolation
