1. A D R I A N A V E R A R Í O S
TEA TREE OIL AS A TREATMENT FOR
ATHLETE’S FOOT (TINEA PEDIS)

2. WHAT IS TINEA PEDIS?
• Tinea pedis, more commonly known as athlete’s
foot, is a foot infection that is caused by a fungus
that grows on or in the top layer of skin, which grows
best in warm, moist places.
• There are many types of fungi that cause Tinea
pedis, they belong to a group called
“dermatophytes”, which feed on keratin (a protein
found in hair, skin, and nails).
• Trichophyton mentagrophytes is the most common
and easily treatable fungus that causes Tinea pedis.

3. PROBLEM
• Tinea pedis is easily spread (public showers, locker
rooms) and once you come in contact with the
fungus, treatment is necessary.
• In some cases, there are people that are allergic to
the most common antifungal treatments and often
want more natural remedies.

4. TEA TREE OIL
• Tea tree oil is:
An essential oil made from the leaves of the
plant Melaleuca alternifolia.
 Known for its antifungal and antimicrobial
properties.

5. PROBLEM
•Is Tea Tree Oil effective
for the treatment of
Tidea pedis?

6. IMPORTANCE
• This investigation is important because it is always
necessary to have different courses of treatment
that are conforming to the patient’s needs, beliefs,
and/or interests.
• There are many people that would lean towards a
natural remedy when treating certain infections,
which is why it is important to have a proven natural
solution to the problem.
• It is inexpensive.

7. HYPOTHESIS
• Tea Tree oil can be an effective natural alternative
as a treatment for Tinea pedis.
• To test the hypothesis, a control and experimental
group is created using Sabouraud agar plates and
Tinea pedis samples.
• Independent variable: Concentration of Tea tree oil
• Dependent variable: Tinea pedis improvement

8. HOW/RESEARCH DESIGN/METHOD
• Materials:
Six (6) Sabouraud agar plates- for the cultivation of the
dermatophyte Trichophyton mentagrophyte)
Tinea pedis samples
Tea Tree oil solutions at different concentrations
20%
40%
60%
80
100%

9. EXPERIMENT PROCESS
Take Tinea pedis samples
Apply samples to Sabouraud agar plates
• 1 plate is the control (apply no solution)
Apply to each sample its corresponding
solution
•20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Apply solution twice a day for 2 weeks
At the end of the two weeks, see if the
sample has improved

10. EXPECTED RESULTS
Tinea pedis will improve
The higher the concentration of tea tree oil, the
more it will improve
Prove to be a natural treatment
Possible setbacks
Laboratory miscalculations
Storage of the substance
Experimental setting will not show the different
biological reactions the human body may
experience

11. FUTURE INVESTIGATIONS
• Future investigations
Might involve using tea tree oil for the treatment of
other fungal infections, such as Tinea corporus or
Tinea capitis.

12. REFERENCES
• Tea tree oil in the treatment of tinea pedis: Tong MM,
Altman PM, Barnetson RS Australasian Journal of
Dermatology 1992; 33(3): 145–149
• Resnik SS, Lewis LA, Cohen BH. The athlete's
foot. Cutis. 1977;20:351–3, 355.
• Raman A, Weir U, Bloomfield SF. Antimicrobial effects of
tea-tree oil and its major components on
Staphylococcus aureus, Staph. epidermidis and
Propionibacterium acnes. Lett Appl
Microbiol.1995;21:242–245.
• Altman, P. M. 1988. Australian tea tree oil. Aust. J.
Pharm. 69:276-278.
• Anonymous 1933. An Australian antiseptic oil. Br. Med.
J. i:966.