Genetic homogeneity of Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. interdigitale isolated from geographically distant regions

To evaluate the genetic homogeneity of Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. interdigitale, restriction enzyme analysis of mitochondrial(mt) DNA was performed on 29 isolates of T. mentagrophytes var. interdigitale isolated from Belgian or Indian patients with dermatophytosis. The restriction enzyme profiles of these mtDNAs were compared with those of the teleomorphic members composing the T. mentagrophytes complex. Using the restriction enzymes MspI, HaeIII, HindIII and BglII the restriction profiles of all the examined clinical isolates showed the same profiles as those of Arthroderma vanbreuseghemii. T. mentagrophytes var. interdigitale isolates found in Japan have been shown to have the same profiles as those of A. vanbreuseghemii. Therefore, T. mentagrophytes var. interdigitale is considered to be a highly homogeneous taxon phylogenetically related to A. vanbreuseghemii.