Trichophyton benhamiae and T. mentagrophytes target guinea pigs in a mixed small animal stock

Trichophyton benhamiae is an emerging zoonotic dermatophyte. We present a case of a small animal stock infected with two Trichophyton species. T. benhamiae was isolated from 15 out of 26 (58%) guinea pigs including two morphologically different phenotypes. Eight guinea pigs were infected with T. benhamiae and T. mentagrophytes simultaneously. The animals showed alopecia and crusts or no clinical signs at all. T. benhamiae was not detected in rats, rabbits and mice kept in the same stock. Keywords: Trichophyton benhamiae, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Zoonotic dermatophytes, Guinea pig, Mass spectrometr