To assess the clinical and fungal species spectrum of dermatophyte infection in a reference centre in Addis Ababa, 539 dermatological patients with signs of dermatophytosis were investigated. Seventy-one percent were female and 29% male, aged 2-66 years (median 9). Four hundred-fifteen (77%) had at least one skin lesion. Tinea capitis was diagnosed in 138/155 males (89%) as compared to 214/384 females (40%) (p < 0.05). T. capitis was diagnosed in 69% of the 374 children. Fingernails were affected in 132/145 (91%) of onychomycosis, 118 (90%) of these patients were females and 14 males (p < 0.05). Tinea corporis was observed in 45, and other types of tinea in 12 patients. Thirty-six percent of all patients had also other skin lesions, mostly impetigo. Of 490 cultured samples 364 (74%) grew dermatophytes: Trichophyton violaceum in 84%, Trichophyton verrucosum in 9.6%, Trichophyton tonsurans in 1.4% and T. rubrum in 0.5%. Additionally, 15 isolates were identified as white variants of T. violaceum, in 3 cases confirmed by sequencing of the rDNA ITS 2 region. T. capitis in young males and T. unguium of fingernails in females were the most common manifestations of dermatophytosis in Addis Ababa, usually caused by T.violaceum.