Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine

Dermatophytes are the most common agents of superficial fungal infections in humans and animals, but they also cause serious infections in patients with solid organ transplant or congenital immune disorders. The reduced size of their genome with the expansion of particular gene families indicate that these fungi are highly specialized and have the ability to degrade hard keratin and escape the immune system during infection. The ability of dermatophyte to switch from a saprophytic to a parasitic lifestyle is achieved through significant reprogramming of gene expression. Research on dermatophytes has generated renewed interest with the emergence of cases of dermatophytosis resistant to standard treatments.