www.aafp.org/afp AMERICAN FAMILY PHYSICIAN 289 believed to be caused by invasive worms. The main causes belong to three genera: Trichophyton, Microsporum and Epidermophyton. The most common cause of tinea corporis in the United States is infection with Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton tonsurans, Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Microsporum canis. All dermatophytes are aerobic, and they share th...

Fungal keratitis represents one of the most difficult forms of microbial keratitis to diagnose and treat successfully. It is difficult to obtain correct diagnosis and topical antifungal preparations. Fungi can cause severe stromal necrosis and enter the anterior chamber by penetrating an intact Descemet membrane. The most common pathogens are filamentous fungi (Aspergillus and Fusarium spp.) an...

Objective: Dermatomycosis is an infection with fungi related to the skin: glabrous skin, hair and/or nails. Oral treatment of fungal infections in dermatology has become a preferred modality for the management of these very common conditions. Although there are increasing numbers of antifungals available for treatment of dermatophytes, some cases and relapses have been unresponsive to treatment...

Background: Tinea corporis is a superficial fungal infection of the glabrous skin of the trunk and extremities caused by closely related organisms of the three genera – Trichophyton, Microsporum, and Epidermophyton, collectively known as dermatophytes. The prevalence of the different species varies according to geographic and climatic regions. Trichophyton rubrum has been reported from various ...

During World War II, the number of infections caused by the dermatophytes reached alarming heights in the armed forces. This fact stimulated the search for agents that could not only inhibit the fungi but also kill them. Therefore, in investigating chemotherapeutic agents, both fungistatic and fungicidal activity must be examined, and to accomplish this, standard in vitro methods must be employ...