What is the medical term for the fungal infection athlete's foot?

The medical term for the fungal infection athlete's foot is tinea pedis. The Latin name means roughly “ringworm of the foot,” although athlete's foot is not caused by a worm.

Tinea pedis is a dermatophyte infection that commonly affects the spaces between the toes, the soles, or both. Typical symptoms include itching, scaling, cracking, redness, and sometimes blisters. The fungi feed on keratin in the outer layers of skin and thrive in warm, damp environments such as sweaty shoes, communal showers, swimming-pool decks, and locker rooms.

Common causative fungi include Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, and Epidermophyton floccosum. The infection can spread to the toenails, producing fungal nail disease, or to the hands after scratching infected feet. It may also recur if shoes, socks, or damp surfaces remain contaminated.

Athlete's foot belongs to the broader group of tinea infections. Ringworm is therefore a related common term, but “ringworm” alone can refer to infections on other body sites. Candidiasis is a different type of fungal infection and is not the canonical answer to this question.