Tinea Pedis

As a leading company in the drug industry, Creative Biolabs has gained a wealth of good reputation for successfully completed numerous challenges in antifungal drug discovery. Based on our advanced technology platform and experienced scientists, we are able to offer a series of antifungal drug discovery services against tinea pedis.

What is Tinea Pedis?

Tinea Pedis, also known as Athlete's foot, is a common dermatophytosis of the feet infection caused by fungus. Tinea Pedis is a very contagious dermatophytosis that can be spread through direct and indirect contact. It is a kind of dermatophytosis caused by anthropophilic dermatophytes which inhabit dead layers of skin and digests keratin. Trichophyton rubrum (T. rubrum), Trichophyton mentagrophytes (T. mentagrophytes), and Epidermophyton floccosum are the common pathogenic fungi of tinea pedis. The majority of tinea pedis cases are caused by T. rubrum. However, several non-dermatophyte molds, including Scytalidium hyalinum, Scytalidium dimidiatum, and Scopulariopsis brevicaulis, are also known to cause tinea pedis, whose symptoms are similar to that caused by T. rubrum.

Risks of Tinea Pedis Infection

• Age: more frequently in younger adults and older children;
• Sex: more often in males than that in females;
• Environment: warm and moist climate or environments;
• Physical factors: individuals with immune deficiency and patients with a history of atopic dermatitis.

Symptoms and Signs

Tinea Pedis occurs in any part of the foot, but more common between the toes and the bottom of the foot. Typical symptoms are itching, scaling, cracking, and redness. Tinea Pedis can be divided into four presentations:

• Chronic interdigital tinea pedis: Chronic interdigital tinea pedis is caused by T. rubrumwith symptoms of red or ulcerative skin and itching.
• Plantar tinea pedis: T. rubrumalso results in the asymptomatic plantar tinea pedis, which characterized by fine silvery scales, with underlying pink to red skin.
• Acute ulcerative tinea pedis: Acute ulcerative tinea pedis is infected by T. mentagrophytes with the presentation of pain, maceration of the skin, erosions and fissuring of the skin, crusting.
• Vesiculobullous tinea pedis: Caused by T. mentagrophytes, vesiculobullous tinea pedis is the least common disease that characterized by a sudden outbreak of itchy blisters and vesicles on an erythematous base.

Diagnosis and Prevention

• Basic diagnosis and direct microscopy of a potassium hydroxide preparation of a skin scraping are helpful in diagnosing tinea pedis and causes.
• Measures as keeping the feet dry and socks, shoes clean, and clipping toenails short can prevent tinea pedis fungi from taking hold and spreading.

Treatment

30-40% of cases of tinea pedis can resolve by itself without medicine, and topical antifungal medication produces higher rates of cure. Topical antifungal drugs that are useful in the treatment of tinea pedis can be divided into several types, imidazoles, triazoles, benzylamine, allylamines, hydroxypyridone and others.

Types of Dermatophytosis Studied by Creative Biolabs

As a part of our antifungal drug research, Creative Biolabs has abundant and professional experience in dermatophytosis research. Our professional scientists will work closely with our customers and provide you with high-quality, flexible, and cost-effective services. Besides tinea pedis, other types of dermatophytosis are also within our scope of services.

If you are interested in the fungal diseases we investigate, please click the links above. For more detailed information, just feel free to contact us.

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