Abortive cleistothecia of Trichophyton mentagrophytes from dog and rat ringworm

Very few papers have been published on ringworm in dogs and rats in Japan. The authors have previously reported canine and feline ringworm caused by Microsporum canis in Tokyo, Japan. In the course of their studies on ringworm in animals, the authors observed two cases of ringworm in dogs and some in rats caused by Trichophyton mentagrophytes (Robin) Blanchard, 1896. On the soil culture of T. mentagrophytes which had been isolated from an animal ringworm lesion, abortive cleistothecia were observed. The present paper deals with clinical observations of these cases of animal ringworm and mycological studies of the isolates of the etiologic dermatophyte, T, mentagrophytes.