Doctors in New York City are reporting the first known U.S. cases of sexually transmitted ringworm, a fungal infection causing a rash All five known cases involved men who have sex with men The rashes cleared up with anti-fungal treatments, but cures could take up to three months THURSDAY, Oct.
31, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Doctors in New York City are describing the first known U.S. cases of sexually transmitted ringworm, which can cause a nasty rash that can take months to bring under control.
Despite the name, ringworm isn't any kind of worm but instead is a fungus, Trichophyton mentagrophytes . It's more commonly known as jock itch (when it affects the groin area) or athlete's foot, and can produce a round, itchy rash. Until now, transmission of the fungal infection through skin-to-skin sexual contact has been rare, although cases have been reported in Southeast Asia and France since 2021, researchers reported.
These have been a subtype of T. mentagrophytes called TMVII. The new report concludes that the first U.
S. case of sexually transmitted TMVII was reported in June, and "four additional TMVII infections were diagnosed during April-July 2024 in New York City among men who have sex with men." The rash appeared "on the [patients'] face, buttocks or genitals, and was successfully treated with antifungal medications," said a team led by dermatologist Dr.
Avrom Caplan , of NYU Langone Health in New York City. His team published its findings Oct. 31 in Morbidity and Mortalit.