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How do dermatophyte fungi cause chronic skin eruptions?
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skin disease
Visible alterations in the texture of the skin, such as rashes and hives, can be indicative of serious disease. For example, one of the first signs of Lyme disease is a circular rash in a bull's-eye pattern on the skin.
Dermatophyte fungi cause chronic skin eruptions by colonizing the dead, horny layer of the skin. The resulting inflammatory changes are driven by two primary factors:1
- Irritant products: The fungus produces substances that diffuse into the skin, acting as irritants.1
- Immunologic reaction: The host’s immune system mounts a response in an attempt to eliminate the invading organism.1
While these infections are typically localized, they can become extensive and persistent in individuals with compromised immune systems, such as patients receiving immunosuppressive drugs. Although treatments like systemic antifungal drugs have improved outcomes, some infections remain resistant to therapy. Dermatophytes, which include genera such as Trichophyton, Microsporum, and Epidermophyton, are specifically adapted to infect the skin, hair, and nails.12