Foram submetidos a exame clínico laboratorial de dermatofitose e inqueridos sobre o possível contato com cães e gatos 158 pacientes residentes na área urbana de Fortaleza, que apresentavam lesões suspeitas de dermatofitose. Esta busca associada aos dados obtidos em questionário permitiram identificar a freqüência de surtos domiciliares. Dentre os 83 dermatófitos isolados de infecções humanas, predominaram as espécies antropofílicas sobre as zoofílicas, tendo sido observado uma confluência de diagnóstico humano e animal em 100% dos casos de dermatofitoses zoofílicas humanas, onde foram identificadas as mesmas espécies no homem e nos animais contactantes: Microsporum canis e Trichophyton mentagrophytes. Já os pacientes portadores de dermatófitos antropofílicos variaram quanto ao contato com animais domésticos, não tendo sido isolado estes fungos de nenhum animal contactante. Diante da baixa freqüência de dermatofitoses zoofílicas, considerou-se que o convívio do homem com cães e gatos domésticos foi pouco representativo como fator condicionante da ocorrência de dermatofitoses no meio urbano.

There have been submitted to clinical exam in laboratory of dermatofitosis and inquired about possible contact with domestic animals (dogs and cats) 158 patients living in the urban area of Fortaleza, that showed lesions suspected of dermatofitosis. This search associated to the obtained data in questionnaires permitted us to identify the frquency of domicile outbreaks. Within the 83 people with dermatosis isolated of human infections, prevailed the anthopophylical species over the zoophylical ones, and that it was observed a confluence of human and animal diagnosis in 100% of the human dermatophytosis zoophylical cases, where the same species were identified in men and contacting animals: M. canis and T. mentagrophytes. As the patients carrying antropophylical dermatophytosis varied as to the contact with animals, not having been these fungus isolated from none of the contacting animals. Before the low frequency of zoophylical dermatophytosis, it was considered that the intimacy of men with domestic dogs and cats represented was little as a conditional factor of occurrence of dermatophytosis in the urban environment.