Doctors alerted about the emergence of hard-to-treat fungal skin infections

Library image. Getty/Zay Nyi Nyi

By Julie Penfold

A new study has warned healthcare professionals to watch out for new and highly contagious forms of fungal skin infections such as ringworm.

The study, published in JAMA Dermatology, by physicians at NYU Langone Health, documents the first reported US case of a sexually transmitted fungal infection that took months to clear, even with treatment.

A male in his 30s had developed tinea on his penis, buttocks and limbs after returning home to New York following a trip to England, Greece and California. Tests of fungal samples collected from the patient’s rashes revealed the infection was caused by the species Trichophyton mentagrophytes type VII (TMVII).

This sexually transmitted form of ringworm has also emerged in Europe. For example, 13 cases were reported in France in 2023. Cases diagnosed have largely been in men who have sex with men.

Doctors should be on the lookout for patients with the UK with hard-to-treat fungal skin infections too, said the British Skin Foundation (BSF).