A quantitative dermatophyte infection model in the guinea pig--a parallel to the quantitated human infection model.

A method is described for inducing quantitative dermatophyte infections in guinea pigs. This model is unique in that the epidermis in the infection site is not traumatized nor is it epilated. One hundred spore-inocula of Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. granulosum ATCC number 18748 induced infections in 85% of tested guinea pigs. The course of these infections in guinea pigs that had not had a previous infection (inexperienced) and those that had (experienced) paralleled that seen in experimental infections of human volunteers.