Pathophysiology of dermatophyte infections.

Dermatophyte infections are among the most common infections encountered in medicine. Often considered trivial, these infections are in fact frequently refractory and recurrent. This article presents an overview of the causes, symptoms, differential diagnosis, and clinical course of the most prevalent dermatophyte infections: tinea pedis, tinea cruris, tinea capitis, tinea corporis, and onychomycosis. Complicated situations such as follicular involvement, dermatophytoses in patients who are immunocompromised, and the exaggerated response to zoologically acquired fungal infections are also discussed.