Frequency of Culture-Proven Dermatophyte Infection in Patients with Suspected Tinea Pedis

Background: This study examined the incidence of culture-proven tinea pedis in patients who presented with a foot rash clinically suspected to be tinea pedis. Methods: Cultures were taken from 874 patients in 4 dermatology clinics across the country. The incidence of patients with positively cultured tinea pedis was compared with the total number of patients in the study. Results: The surprisingly low percentage of patients correctly diagnosed with tinea pedis was determined to be 32%. The remaining 68% of patients either had a nonfungal foot dermatitis or tinea pedis with false-negative cultures. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the need for fungal cultures when patients present with scaling feet as well as the importance of a broad differential diagnosis to ensure timely and appropriate therapy.