Plasmalemmasome development in Trichophyton mentagrophytes grown at suboptimal temperature.

When the dermatophytic fungus Trichophyton mentagrophytes is cultivated at the suboptimal temperature of 19 degrees C, the plasmalemma of the youngest cells appears to be associated with a variety of membranous bodies, the number of which is much greater than at the optimum temperature of 28 degrees C. These structures can be indicated as plasmalemmasomes both for morphological characteristics and cytochemical reactivity. A possible correlation between the suboptimal condition and plasmalemmasome ontogeny and function is proposed.