fungus infection, usually localized in the foot but occurring occasionally elsewhere on the body, apparently resulting from inoculation into a scratch or abrasion of any of a number of fungi: Penicillium, Aspergillus, or Madurella, or actinomycetes such as Nocardia.

The disease was first reported from the region of Madura in southern India; it occurs most frequently in tropical and subtropical areas where people go barefoot. The infection, which may remain latent for a time, forms small, subcutaneous swellings that enlarge, soften with pus, and break through the skin surface, with concurrent invasion of deeper tissues. Sulfonamide, iodide, and antibiotic therapy have been used against actinomycotic infections, but the fungi are more resistant to treatment. When tissue damage is extreme, the foot is usually amputated.