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Dermatophytes are among the most successful fungal pathogens in humans, but their virulence mechanisms have not yet been fully characterized. Dermatophytic fungi secrete proteases in vivo, which are responsible for fungal colonization and degradation of the keratinized tissue during infection. In the present study, we used PCR to investigate the presence of genes encoding fungalysins (MEP) and subtilisins (SUB) in three dermatophyte species whose incidence is increasing in Europe: the anthropophilic Trichophyton rubrum (n = 58), zoophilic Microsporum canis (n = 33), and Trichophyton benhamiae (n = 6). MEP2 and SUB4 genes were significantly correlated with T. rubrum; MEP3 and SUB1 were mostly frequently harbored by M. canis; and MEP1, 2, and 4 and SUB3–7 were most frequently harbored by T. benhamiae isolates (p < 0.05). Furthermore, MEP1–5 and SUB1–3 genes were …