Superficial fungal infection due to dermatophytosis is one of the most common skin infections in the India.It is contagious. The dermatophytes are a group of fungi that invade the superficial layer of epidermis and degrade the keratinized tissues of skin, hair and nails in living animals including man, causing ring worm. (1)(2) But in rare cases they invade the deeper layer of the dermis and other organs. A dermatophyte infection results in increased skin proliferation, scaling, and epidermal thickening.

Dermatophytosis is the fungal infection of keratinized tissue. It is caused by three asexual genera- Trichophyton, Epidermophyton, and Microsporum. Dermatophytes are filamentous, keratinophilic, pathogenic fungi which are readily identified by microscopic examination of clinical specimen and can be cultured easily in laboratory. Depending on their habitat, they can be categorized as geophilic, zoophilic and anthropophilic.Based upon the affected site, these have been classified clinically into tinea capitis (head), tinea facei (face), tinea barbae (beard), tinea corporis (body), tinea mannum (hand), tinea cruris (groin), tinea pedis (foot), and tinea unguium (nail).

Fluconazole, terbinafine, itraconazole are commonly used antifungal agent in dermatophytosis. Resistance to these drugs is being seen increasingly when used in conventional doses and duration.