Rise In Cases of Rare Jock Itch, A Fungal Infection Linked To Sexual Activity in the US; How Does It Affect Humans?

There has been a significant rise in cases of a rare ‘jock itch’ fungus in New York, which causes a highly contagious yet rare rash around the genital area. According to a US health report, the fungus, that causes the infection, known as Trichophyton mentagrophytes genotype VII (TMVII), was identified in June this year as the first sexually transmitted case in the country. Since then, four new cases have been reported, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In a statement, the US health agency said, “All four patients were cisgender men aged 30-39 years who reported recent sexual contact with other men. Patients A and D reported sexual contact with each other; patients B and C had no known epidemiologic link to anyone with known TMVII infection,” the statement read. “Patient D was a sex worker.

Patient B reported travel to Europe; the other patients reported no recent international travel history. Each patient was screened for other concomitant sexually transmitted infections and received negative test results.” What is the jock itch? According to the American Academy of Dermatology, TMVII or jock itch is a recently emerged dermatophyte that is closely related to T.

Indotineae, which was previously called T. mentagrophytes type VIII. Doctors say the infection spreads between people and may be transmitted via sexual contact, including in specific patient populations such as men who have sex with men or persons who travelled to Southea.