Griseofulvin - For extra tough ringworm

• mycotoxin produced by various members of the fungal genus Penicillium, including it's namesake, Penicillium griseofulvum
• binds to microtubules and disrupts fungal cell mitosis, also inhibits nucleic acid synthesis
• net effect: prevents the fungus from growing, allowing the immune system to kick some tail
• the first oral drug developed for the treatment of ringworm
• usually indicated for use when topical treatments for ringworm fail to do anything
• ringworm is a freakin' misnomer, it's actually a related group of fungi called dermatophytes that are able to infect the skin, hair, and nails of people and some animals
• dermatophytes belong to the genera Microsporum, Trichophyton, and Epidermophyton and are geophilic, zoophilic, or anthropophilic (live in soil, animals, or humans)
• ringworm infections are usually confined to the superficial layers of the skin
• ringworm is also referred to as tinea X, where X =
• barbae - bearded areas of the face and neck
  
• capitis - scalp and hair
• corporis - trunk, legs, and arms
• cruris - groin (jock itch)
  
• pedis - feet (athlete's foot)
  
• manuum - hands
• unguium - fingernails or toenails
• is able to somehow preferentially accumulate in the keratinous layer of the epidermis (the upper layers of the skin), making it really good at attacking ringworm
  
• development timeline:
• 1939 - first isolated from a culture of Penicillium griseofulvum
• 1955 - discovered to be very active in vitro (i.e. on a lab bench) against pathogenic skin fungi, but topical ointments were not found to be any better than existing ones
• 1958 - publication of a report on the successful treatment of experimental fungus infections in guinea pigs by oral administration of griseofulvin, first used successfully in humans
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- Flint A, Forsey RR, Usher B. Griseofulvin, a new oral antibiotic for the treatment of fungous infections of the skin. Can Med Assoc J. 1959 Aug 1;81(3):173-5. [link to full article]
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griseofulvin