Chinese Experts’ Consensus on the Management of Uncommon Dermatophytoses (2025 edition)

Uncommon types of dermatophytoses have garnered increasing clinical attention. These conditions primarily include dermatophyte infections occurring in special populations (e.g., tinea capitis in adults, infants, and young children, as well as onychomycosis in minors), infections involving special anatomical sites (such as tinea of vellus hair and genital dermatophytosis), infections caused by uncommon or drug-resistant dermatophytes (e.g., Trichophyton indotineae), and deep dermatophytoses associated with host immunocompromise or trauma (such as Majocchi’s granuloma, dermatophyte pseudomycetoma, and deep or disseminated dermatophytoses). Clinically, these uncommon dermatophytoses often exhibit distinct characteristics in epidemiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment and are prone to misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis, posing great challenges to clinical treatment due to the absence of standardized diagnostic and therapeutic protocols. To address these gaps, the Mycology Group of the Chinese Dermatovenerology Society of Integrative Medicine and the Infection Group of the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association Professional Committee on Prevention and Control of Dermatology and Sexually Transmitted Diseases convened a panel of experts to develop this expert consensus to address key issues regarding the epidemiology, clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment of these uncommon types of dermatophytoses, aiming to provide scientific and standardized guidance for clinical practice.