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Background: Dermatophytes are pathogenic fungi that can be present in the flora of mammals, such as dogs, cats and rodents, which can be a source and transmission vehicle to other hosts, including humans. In Chile, there is a steady increase of acquiring guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) as pets, with no local studies on their colonization by dermatophytes., Objective: To determine the presence of dermatophytes on clinically healthy guinea pigs, kept in pet stores in Santiago, Chile., Methods: A total of 52 clinically healthy animals were studied using the method by Mariat and Tapia (1966). The specimen culture and identification of the dermatophytes were performed using classical mycological procedures., Results: Four guinea pigs (7.7%) out of 52 were colonized by dermatophytes, and were identified as Trichophyton mentagrophytes (3 cases) and Trichophyton verrucosum (one case)., Conclusion: This study shows, for the first time in Chile, that guinea pigs can be colonized by dermatophytes, which should alert administrators of pet stores, veterinarians and physicians, to keep this in mind when purchasing or looking after this type of pet in a veterinary office., (Copyright © 2013 Revista Iberoamericana de Micología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.)

Our main aim was to determine the dermatophyte infection and colonization prevalence in canines from South Santiago, Chile. We studied 241 dogs, 121 of them presented cutaneous lesions suggestive of dermatophytosis and the other 120 were free from lesions and were considered clinically healthy. Dermatophytes were isolated from the lesions of 48.8% of animals with cutaneous diseases and from 5% of healthy dogs. Microsporum canis was the principal species isolated with a frequency of 98.3% from dermatophytosis and from all healthy carriers. The direct microscopic test showed a sensibility of 85% with a positive and negative predictive value of 74 and 79%, respectively. The highest prevalence of dermatophytosis were detected in animals up to one year old (p <= 0.05) and in dogs with high level of irritation, scaly skin, itching and alopecia (p < or = 0.05). The lesions were detected more frequently in head-neck and anterior members (p < or = 0.05). This study shows some clinical characteristics and a frequency of dermatophytes in canines that can be interesting for laboratory professionals and veterinarians.