Abstract: Objective To develop a rapid and reproducible m ethod in strain identification for T.rubrum.Methods Two novel tandem repeat subelements(TRSS),trs-1 and trs-2,located in the T.rubrum rDNA non-transcribed spacer(NTS) were amplified from 20 strains of T.rubrum.The PCR products were cloned into seq uencing vector PGEM-T for sequencing.Results Specific amplification of trs-1 and trs-2 produced strain-characteristic band patterns(PCR types),the sequence from trs-1 and trs-2 also supported this finding.The trs-1 sequence variation was found in a strain of T.rubrum which can grow at 37℃.Conclusion The characteristic fingerprints generated by this PCR assay provide a rapid,stable molecular typing method to study the epidemiology and pathogenicity of T.rubrum infection.

Key words: Trichophyton, Mycological typing techniques