A new sexually transmitted fungal infection threatens to ruin the Hot Gay Summer™

After a case was identified in New York City, healthcare providers must be on the lookout for a potentially pesky fungal infection of the skin.

According to experts, there is a new form of tinea, also known as ringworm (or “jock itch” when it occurs in the groin area). Although the condition responds to standard treatment, it can take months to heal.

Although ringworm is usually characterized by the ring-shaped rashes it causes on the skin, this new variant does not always appear as rings. This makes it less noticeable and easily confused with other skin conditions such as eczema.

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It’s also worth noting that despite the name, there are no worms involved. It’s a fungal infection. And it’s very, very treatable.

New York case

Details of the New York case appeared this week in the journal JAMA Dermatology.

It states that a man in his thirties has been diagnosed with a new variant of Genital/pubogenital tineaThe number of cases is increasing in Europe. In France alone there were over a dozen last year. The disease has not yet been detected in the USA.

The man had a rash on his penis, buttocks and limbs. He had been on a trip through Greece, England and California before returning to New York City. He said he had had several sexual encounters with other men during his travels.

Genetic tests showed that his fungal infection Trichophyton mentagrophytes type VII (TMVII). This is the new sexually transmitted ringworm.

“Healthcare providers should be aware that Trichophyton mentagrophytes type VII is the latest in a group of serious skin infections that has now reached the United States,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Avrom S. Caplan of the NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

The study notes that the condition can usually be treated with a standard antifungal drug called terbinafine, but it may take a while for symptoms to subside.

“Because patients are often hesitant to discuss genital problems, physicians need to ask directly about rashes in the groin and buttocks, especially in sexually active patients who have recently traveled abroad and report itchy spots elsewhere on the body,” said study co-author Dr. John G. Zampella.

Drug-resistant fungal infection

Last month, JAMA Dermatology reported on the spread of another ringworm skin infection (Trichophyton indotineae). Although this variant is widespread in Southeast Asia, it is now spreading worldwide. Last year, 11 cases were diagnosed in New York hospitals.

When seven of the patients did not respond to the usual antifungal treatment, the researchers analyzed the genetic code of the fungus. They found several mutations that made it resistant to the usual drugs. Instead, they had to use another, stronger drug called itraconazole. The downside is that this comes with a greater likelihood of side effects such as nausea.

Again, healthcare providers are advised to be alert to these new forms of fungal skin infections, even though cases are currently rare.

If you have a persistent rash that does not respond to over-the-counter antifungal treatments, be sure to see a doctor.

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