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Dermatophyte infections are common, affecting 20–25% of the population worldwide. The skin, hair and nails are the most frequently involved. The fungi causing infection (dermatophytes) rarely cause invasive disease, and infections are managed in the Australian outpatient setting, usually by general practitioners and dermatologists.

Trichophyton species cause the majority of dermatomycoses. Recently, difficult‐to‐treat cases of tinea corporis (body), cruris (groin and pubic region), and faciei (face), characterised by extensive, inflammatory plaques, have been reported, caused by a newly recognised species T. indotineae (previously T. mentagrophytes genotype VIII), which is frequently (up to 76%) terbinafine‐resistant. Large disease outbreaks were first described across the Indian subcontinent, but cases have now spread globally, including in patients with no travel history, highlighting local human‐to‐human transmission.

This MJA Medical Education shares more.

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Authors: Kyra YL Chua, Catriona L Halliday, Sharon C‐A Chen, Sonia Koning, Jedrzej Pawlikowski, Philipp du Cros and Tony M Korman

Article Type: Medical Education