NYU Langone Health researchers warn doctors of an emerging health threat- novel and highly transmissible strains of ringworm or jock itch. The warning was published in a release in EurekAlert.
Over the past ten years, there has been a rising incidence of male genital dermatophytosis in India, primarily linked to the emergence of Trichophyton indotineae. Certain factors contribute to this, like climate change and hygiene.
In a report published in JAMA Dermatology, the authors suggest that sexual contact may play a role in transmitting T. indotineae.
According to the authors, “Similarly, tinea genitalis has increasingly been reported in Europe attributed to the emerging dermatophyte, T mentagrophytes internal transcribed spacer (ITS) genotype VII (TMVII), which may spread via sexual contact. We describe a patient with TMVII resulting in tinea genitalis, glutealis, and corporis to highlight risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment.”
Two studies were published in JAMA Dermatology regarding the strains. According to the release, “In the first of the studies, experts at NYU Langone Health who focus on the spread of contagious rashes document the first reported U.S. case of a sexually transmitted fungal infection that can take months to clear up even with treatment. In the second report, NYU Langone physicians partnered with authorities at the New York State Department of Health to describe the largest group of patients in the country with a similar fungal strain that resists standard therapies.”
