Dermatophytosis.ppt-IowaStateUniversity.ppt

Last updated: May 2011 Dermatophytes have likely existed for millions of years; however, the first historical reference did not come unto 30 A.D., when Roman encyclopedist Aulus Cornelius Celsus described a “suppurative infection of the scalp” that was attributed to a dermatophyte. In that era, dermatophytes were described as “tineas.” The term “ringworm” emerged later, probably around the 16th century. In the 19th century, the mycotic etiology of these skin infections was finally described. Dermatophytes remain the most common fungal pathogens (except finger onychomycosis due to Candida) in t