Background:Tinea infections are superficial fungal infections caused by three
species of fungi (i.e. Epidermophyton, Microsporum, and Trichophyton) collectively
termed dermatophytes. Dermatophytes are fungi that cause skin, nail bed, and hair infections.
These infections are classified based on infection site, including tinea pedis (foot),
tinea corporis (body), tinea capitis (head), and tinea cruris (groin). Dermatophytes can
spread by direct contact with other people (anthropophilic organisms), animals (zoophilic
organisms), and soil (geophilic organisms), as well as indirectly from fomities.Objective:This review aims to summarize the allopathic drugs along with their mechanism
of action and herbal drugs including their parts of the plant used for the treatment of tinea
infections.Methods:The literature review was performed using the following databases: PubMed
(https://pubmed-ncbi-nlm-nih-gov.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/), and Google Scholar (https://scholar-google-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/), to
identify the various drugs involved in the treatment of dermatophytosis along with their
mechanisms.Results:The following keywords were applied in the search strategy: “Tinea”, “Dermatophytosis”,
“Ringworm infection”, “Pathogenesis of tinea”, “Tinea pedis”, and “Tinea capitis”. This
article also reviews several formulations that are available in the market for treating ringworm
infection.Conclusion:The current review provides information about the classification of dermatophytosis
based on infection site and environmental habitat, pathogenesis, immunopathogenesis
of dermatophytes, and herbals and allopathic drugs used for their treatment.