Two cases of highly contagious, drug-resistant ringworm infection have been identified in the United States.
The cases were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in February and shared in a report released Thursday.
These patients from New York City first experienced symptoms in 2021 and 2022.
One of the patients carrying the infection was identified as a 47-year-old woman who developed severe ringworm — called ringworm — while traveling in the United States. Bangladesh.
She developed a rash on her thighs and buttocks, and health officials reported that the severe ringworm did not improve after applying an antifungal cream.
The woman’s infection was caused by a relatively new ringworm-causing fungus called Trichophyton indotineae.
“My radar was activated immediately,” Dr. Avrom Caplan, an assistant professor of dermatology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and one of the authors of the report, who treated the patients, told NBC News.
After returning to the United States, the woman went to the emergency room of the hospital three times for help. Doctors prescribe several treatments, usually for ringworm, but by December there has been no improvement.
After many attempts, doctors gave the woman a four-week course of griseofulvin, which is commonly used to treat skin infections such as athlete’s foot and ringworm. However, doctors are still researching other treatment options.
The woman’s son and husband, who live with her, also developed a similar rash and are currently being evaluated.
Infections caused by this drug-resistant fungus have spread rapidly in South Asia over the past decade, likely due to overuse of medical treatments, including topical antifungals and corticosteroids, the CDC report said.
another skin infection
Another 28-year-old patient developed a skin infection in the third trimester of her pregnancy in 2021.
She had no underlying medical conditions, no exposure to anyone with a similar rash, and no history of international travel.
The rash spread all over the woman’s body, including the neck, abdomen, dantian and buttocks.
She was later diagnosed with ringworm and started oral terbinafine in January 2022 after giving birth.
However, if the rash does not go away, the patient is treated with itraconazole, an antifungal cream.
The rash subsided after 4 weeks, but continued monitoring for potential recurrence of infection.
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What is ringworm and how is it treated?
Ringworm is a common fungal infection, according to the NHS.
The main symptom of an infection is a rash that is red, silver, or darker than the surrounding skin, depending on your skin tone.
A case of ringworm or ringworm infection.file picture
The NHS website also states that the rash may be scaly, dry, swollen or itchy.
Ringworm can be spread by close contact with:
• Infected people or animals
• Conceal infected items such as sheets, combs or towels
• contain infected soil, although the NHS says this is less common
Treatment for ringworm depends entirely on where it is on the body and the severity of the infection, according to the CDC.
Some forms of ringworm can be treated with over-the-counter medications, while others may require treatment with prescription antifungal medications.