Introduction
Dermatophyte organisms infect humans across the
world, with widely varying frequency and epidemiology.
Nonetheless, treatment methods are similar
across the world, and modern antifungal medications
can provide effective treatment for most presentations
of dermatophytosis.
There are few new medications available for
dermatophyte infection. Most agents, even where
new, remain within the two main antifungal drug
families, the azoles and the allylamines; a newer
class, the echinocandins, is currently used only for
systemic Candida/Aspergillus infection [1, 2]. Innovation
in dermatophyte treatment has involved
marketing of wide-spectrum topical agents, use of
topical agents with anti-inflammatory as well as
antifungal actions, and use of a combination of
existing oral antifungal agents, or oral/topical antifungal
agents, in attempts to improve on
monotherapy cure rates.
Current country-specific prescribing information
for any antifungal should be consulted prior to
providing any medication. The information provided
in this article may not reflect country-specific practices,
due to the variation in antifungal formulations
and availability outside of North America. Regarding
the variety of topical antifungals available, this article
provides a general picture of topical antifungal
treatment using topical medications most frequently
cited in medical literature, and does not attempt to
provide a comprehensive listing of all topical
antifungals available.