Hybridization and sexual stimulation in Trichophyton mentagrophytes.

Mating and sexual stimulation tests applied to 132 strains of this dermatophyte isolated in Czechoslovakia revealed among them strains of Arthroderma benhamiae (40 strains of the + mating type, one of the - mating type) and A. vanbreuseghemii (three strains of the + type, seven of the - type). No dependence was found concerning the anamorphic variety (T. mentagrophytes var. granulosum, var. interdigitale, var. mentagrophytes, var. quinckeanum), teleomorphic species, mating type and the clinical localization of dermatophytosis. Plausible reasons of different frequencies of the mating types are discussed.