Globally, athletes foot affects about 15% of the population. Males are more often affected than females. It occurs most frequently in older children or younger adults. Historically it is believed to have been a rare condition that became more frequent in the 20th century due to the greater use of shoes, health clubs, war, and travel. Signs and symptoms
Athletes foot is divided into four categories or presentations: chronic interdigital, plantar (chronic scaly; aka "moccasin foot"), acute ulcerative, and vesiculobullous. "Interdigital" means between the toes. "Plantar" here refers to the sole of the foot. The ulcerative condition includes macerated lesions with scaly borders. Maceration is the softening and breaking down of skin due to extensive exposure to moisture. A vesiculobullous disease is a type of mucocutaneous disease characterized by vesicles and bullae (blisters). Both vesicles and bullae are fluid-filled lesions, and they are distinguished by size (vesicles being less than 5–10 mm and bulla being larger than 5–10 mm, depending upon what definition is used).Athletes foot occurs most often between the toes (interdigital), with the space between the fourth and fifth digits (the little toe and the fore toe) most commonly affected. Cases of interdigital athletes foot caused by Trichophyton rubrum may be symptomless, it may itch, or the skin between the toes may appear red or ulcerative (scaly, flaky, with soft and white if skin has been kept wet), with or without itching.
Other recurring sites of dissemination are the genitourinary tract (kidney, prostate, epididymis; collectively ca. 25% of cases) and the brain (3–10% of cases). 40% of immunocompromised individuals have CNS involvement and present as brain abscess, epidural abscess or meningitis. Blastomycosis in non-lung organs such as the skin may present a very wide range of symptoms, including the following:

skin lesions, which may be verrucous (wart-like) or ulcerated with small pustules at the margins. bone or joint pain due to bone lytic lesions. pain when urinating due to prostatitis. hoarseness due to laryngeal involvement. headache, confusion or other neurological symptoms caused by central nervous system involvement. Cause
Blastomycosis is caused by dimorphic fungi in the genus Blastomyces, in the phylum Ascomycota and family Ajellomycetaceae. In eastern North America, the most common cause of blastomycosis is Blastomyces dermatitidis, but Blastomyces gilchristii has been associated with some outbreaks. In western North America, many cases of blastomycosis are caused by Blastomyces helicus, which most commonly attacks immunodeficient people and domestic animals. The species Blastomyces percursus causes many cases of blastomycosis in Africa and the Middle East. In Africa, blastomycosis may also be caused by Blastomyces emzantsi, which is often associated with infections outside the lungs.In endemic areas, Blastomyces dermatitidis lives in soil and rotten wood near lakes and rivers. Although it has never been directly observed growing in nature, it is thought to grow there as a cottony white mold, similar to the growth seen in artificial culture at 25 °C. The moist, acidic soil in the surrounding woodland harbors the fungus.