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Foot epidermophytosis pathogen (Trichophyton interdigitale)
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
Athlete's foot is caused by the fungus Trichophyton interdigitale.
The nail plates (onychomycosis) and the skin of the feet (formation of blisters, cracks, scales and erosions) are affected. The hair is not affected. Scrapings from the nail plates and skin scales contain minelia and arthrospores. A pure culture of T. interdigitale consists of a thin, branched, septate mycelium with pear-shaped microconidia (2-3 μm), macroconidia (5x25 μm) with septa of chlamydospores.
Foot lesions can also be caused by Trichophyton rubrum, Epidermophyton floccorum.