Identification of dermatophytes by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR).

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy is an established method in the routine diagnosis of various micro-organisms, including bacteria and yeasts, on a species level. Its possible value in the diagnostics of dermatophytes was analysed using three clinical isolates each of the three most frequently found species, namely Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Microsporum canis. The results encourage further work to establish a library which would allow the use of this method in the clinical setting. This might help to make repeated subcultures, which are money- and time-consuming, redundant.