Hair samples from domestic and laboratory animals with suspected dermatophytosis were examined for the presence of saprophytic fungi. A nutritionally poor base medium, developed by the author, was used in the isolation and identification of the saprophytes. Three hundred and ninety-four specimens were examined of which 246 were from dogs, 75 from cats, 30 from horses, 19 from cows, 12 from guinea pigs, 5 from rats, 2 from parakeets, 2 from chinchillas and one each from a goat, a mink and a lesser panda (Ailurus fulgens). Moulds classified in 32 genera were isolated. The commonest in order of frequency were members of the genera Penicillium, Cladosporium, Aspergillus, Mucor, Aureobasidium, Alternaria, Scopulariopsis, Trichoderma and Trichothecium. The yeasts that were isolated were not identified. Aureobasidium pullulans was isolated significantly more often (chi 2 test p less than 0.025) from the dog samples than those from cats, Cladosporium spp. in the samples from dogs than horses, Mucor spp. from the cow samples than horses, Penicillium spp. from the dog samples than those of cats or horses. Skin infections caused by any of the contaminants were not encountered.

Hairsamples of domestic and laboratory animals suspected of dermatophytosis were examined for the presence of dermatophytes. A nutritionally poor base‐medium developed by the author was successfully used in the isolation and identification of dermatophytes. Casein‐medium supplemented with vitamins and Sabouraud‐liquid medium were used in special cases. Dermatophytes were isolated in 36 of 331 samples (10.9%). The dermatophytes recovered were Microsporum canis: 13 isolates from cat. 4 from dog, 1 from horse;Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. granulare: 3 isolates from dog, 3 from horse. 2 from guinea pig and 1 from rabbit;Trichophyton terrestre 1 isolate from dog. Eleven of the 13 feline isolates originated from house cats and the relative frequency was higher among the purebred cats. Two of the cat isolates were connected with human dermatophytosis.

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Sixteen isolates of Microsporum equinum from cases of equine dermatophytosis in Finland, Sweden or Norway were studied mycologically. All the isolates produced typical macroconidia and were negative in the hair perforation test in vitro and were urease-positive. The growth pattern of M. equinum on polished rice greatly resembled that ofM. audouinii during the first 2-3 weeks of incubation. All the isolates were incompatible with Nannizzia otae, the teleomorph of M. canis, but fresh M. equinum isolates showed growth stimulation against the (-) tester strain of N. otae. No cleistothecia or pseudocleistothecia were seen.Microsporum equinum (Delacroix and Bodin 1898) Gueguen 1904 is a dermatophyte adapted mainly to horses which has also been reported to cause infection in man [11]. It has been isolated in several countries around the world, as reviewed by Kane et al. [15], but its real prevalence is still largely unknown. There are some older reports of endemic outbreaks in stables presumably caused by this species [5,6]. However, due to a taxonomic confusion many later isolations may have been incorrectly described in the literature as M. canis. Conant [7] distinguished M. equinum from M. canis on the basis of the smaller size of the macroconidia in the former, but Dowding & Orr in 1939 [10] reported an isolate of M. canis that produced small macroconidia similar to those of M. equinum, and therefore felt that M. equinum must be considered a synonym of M. canis. Later, Conant [9] carried out more investigations into spore size and agreed with their taxonomic conclusion. In the meantime, M. equinurn and M. canis continued to be regarded as two distinct species by some European workers.The discovery of Nannizzia otae, the teleomorphic state of M. canis [12] made it possible to test equine Microsporum isolates. Padhye et al. [19] showed that M. equinum strains were not compatible with Nannizzia otae testers, a result which strongly supported the view that M. equinum was a distinct species. This was also