The symptoms of a highly contagious fungal disease which has infected at least two women in the US after scaly rashes appeared on their bodies have been shared.
The two women, a 28-year-old and a 47-year-old, are the first two patients known to have been struck down with the drug-resistant ringworm, also known as tinea, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The fungal infections, which are becoming increasingly common due to higher temperatures driven by climate change, are said to be resistant to medication, health experts have said.
The 28-year-old woman first reported large, scaly rashes appearing on her body in the summer of 2021 and went to the doctors in December.
A dermatologist diagnosed her with tinea and prescribed antifungal treatment in January 2022 after the woman's baby was born.
However, it did not make a difference and the infection continued to stay for weeks and spread to her partner and children.
Officials believe this is due to medication overuse with patients becoming more susceptible to fungal infections and making fungi more resilient.
David Denning, Professor of Infectious Diseases in Global Health at the University of Manchester, revealed this due to the infection being easily transmittable.
He said: “Skin fungal infections are transmitted from one person to another in schools, homes and with intimate contact.
"This new terbinafine-resistant fungus is a new species called Trichophyton indotineae and first identified in India.
"The huge Indian diaspora has already seen this fungus spread to other countries including Canada and Germany, and now the USA."
What are the symptoms?
Tinea, which is also known as ringworm, is a highly contagious fungal skin infection which spreads to the feet, groin, scalp, abdomen, buttocks, thighs and neck.
The symptoms include blistering, itching and a red scaly rash which is shaped like a ring.
- Itching and stinging
- Red scaly rash that is shaped like a ring (annular)
- Cracking, splitting and peeling in the toe web spaces
- Blisters
- Yellow or white discoloration of the nails
- Bald spots on the scalp.
How is it transmitted?
Fungi flourishes in warm, moist environments and will be most prone to sweat areas of the body - with communal showers and gyms just some of the places where the infection may spread.
It can spread through skin-to-skin contact or indirectly through towels, clothes or floors.
In addition, the disease can spread through schools and homes.
How to avoid the disease spreading?
Overheating and being in warm temperatures help the fungus spread so it is essential to keep the skin exposed to the air as much as possible.
- After washing, dry the skin thoroughly, particularly between the toes and within skin folds.
- Expose the skin to the air as much as possible.
- Wear cotton socks instead of synthetics.
- Use antiperspirants to control excessive perspiration (sweating).
- Do not share towels
- Clean the shower, bath and bathroom floor after use
- Wash your hands after touching infected areas
What treatment is there?
Normally antifungal creams are prescribed by medics and will be applied to the infected area for around 2-4 weeks.
However, a recent strain of ringworm was tested by officials, which came back as Trichophyton indotineae, is currently tearing through India and other parts of South Asia.
Two cases have been identified in the US.
Mr Denning said: "For two decades, we have been treating these infections with oral terbinafine for 3 weeks, very successfully, until this new fungal species arrived.
"The most plausible explanation for its emergence is the frequent use in India of topical terbinafine ( cream and ointment), which doesn’t completely cover the infected area or penetrate deeply into the skin, allowing escape of resistant variants.
"Fortunately itraconazole at a dose of 400mg daily is usually effective. But knowing if the fungus is or is not this unusual species and whether it is resistant to terbinafine or not requires specialised testing in a mycology laboratory."
