Synonymy:

Trichophyton fischeri, Trichophyton raubitschekii, Trichophyton kanei and all varieties of T. rubrum.
Trichophyton rubrum is an anthropophilic fungus that has become the most widely distributed
dermatophyte of humans. It frequently causes chronic infections of skin, nails and rarely scalp.
Granulomatous lesions may sometimes occur. Infected hairs do not fluoresce under Woods ultraviolet
light, and microscopically may show endothrix or ectothrix type of invasion.
Morphologically T. rubrum exhibits a spectrum of overlapping characters; for example culture surface
texture may vary from downy to suede-like; culture surface pigmentation may vary from white to
cream to deep red; culture reverse pigmentation may vary from colourless to yellowish to yellow-
brown to wine red; numbers of microconidia range from none to scanty to many; shape of
microconidia vary from slender clavate to pyriform; numbers of macroconidia range from none to
scanty to many and may or may not have terminal projections. This is why so many varieties or
synonyms have been described in the past. However, molecular evidence by Grser et al. (1999b)
reveals little variation between strains of T. rubrum and determined that the species is largely clonal.
The majority of isolates, especially those causing tinea pedis and onychomycosis, are characterised
by the production of scanty to moderate numbers of slender clavate microconidia and no
macroconidia (formerly the downy strain). Some isolates, usually from cases of tinea corporis, are
characterised by the production of moderate to abundant numbers of clavate to pyriform microconidia
and moderate to abundant numbers of thin-walled, cigar-shaped macroconidia (formerly the granular
strain).
It should be stressed that intermediate strains do occur as many culture and morphological
characteristics overlap.

Note: Trichophyton rubrum produces both red and yellow pigments. Culture colours may range from
none to dark red to dark yellow, with all combinations in between. The images above show the same
strain grown on lactritmel agar that promotes red pigmentation and on mycobiotic agar that shows an
underlying yellow pigmentation.
RG-2 organism.
Morphological Description:
Colonies are mostly flat to slightly raised, white to cream, suede-like to downy, with either no reverse
pigment or a yellow-brown to wine-red reverse. Most cultures show scanty to moderate numbers of
slender clavate to pyriform microconidia. Macroconidia are usually absent, but when present are
smooth, thin-walled multiseptate, slender and cylindrical to cigar-shaped. Older cultures may show
numerous chlamydospores with a few clavate to pyriform microconidia.
Note: On primary isolation some cultures may lack reverse pigmentation and fail to produce
microconidia. These need to be subcultured onto media like lactritmel agar or potato dextrose agar,
which stimulate pigmentation and sporulation. If sporulation still fails subculture the fungus onto
Trichophyton agar No.1.


Confirmatory Tests:
Littman Oxgall Agar:
Raised, greyish-white, suede-like to downy colony with no reverse pigment. Some cultures may show
a greenish-yellow diffusible pigment.
Lactritmel Agar:
Flat, white to rose pink, downy to granular colonies with a deep wine-red reverse pigment.
Sabourauds Dextrose Agar with 5% salt:
Very stunted, white to cream, downy to glabrous colony with a pale yellow-brown reverse pigment.
1% Peptone Agar:
Flat, white to cream, downy to glabrous colony with no reverse pigment.
BCP Agar:
restricted colony growth and neutral (unchanged) pH. Colonies typically demonstrate red pigment on
reverse
Hydrolysis of Urea:
Typically, negative at 7 days (some may be positive).
Vitamin Free Agar (Trichophyton Agar No.1):
Good growth indicating no special vitamin requirements. Colonies are flat, white to cream, suede-like
to downy with a deep wine-red reverse pigment.
Hair Perforation Test:
Negative at 28 days.
Key Features:
Include clinical history, culture characteristics, microscopic morphology and failure to perforate hair in
vitro.