Fifty-two strains of the yeast species Malassezia pachydermatis were analysed by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis. M. pachydermatis appeared to be genetically heterogeneous. A total of 27 electrophoretic types were identified that could be divided into five distinct groups with different host specificities. The diversity revealed by this electrophoretic method matched remarkably well the reported genetic variability obtained by comparing large subunit rRNA sequences. This study also suggests that genetic exchanges can occur in the anamorphic species M. pachydermatis.