First case of rare, sexually transmitted fungus reported in the USA

Medical experts are warning doctors and the public about a highly contagious, rare strain of fungus after the first sexually transmitted ringworm infection was reported in the United States.

“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,” wrote lead study author and physician Avrom Caplan, a dermatologist at New York University Grossman School of Medicine, in a university news release.

Trichophyton mentagrophytes type VII is a sexually transmitted fungus, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

According to a new report in JAMA Dermatology published Wednesday, the first case was a man in his 30s from New York City who developed ringworm on his genitals, buttocks and limbs after reporting having sex with men during a trip to California and on trips abroad to England and Greece.

When the man returned home, he developed an itchy red rash on his groin, genital area and buttocks, among other areas, according to the case study. Tests also confirmed that he had been infected with the rare fungus.

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What is Trichophyton mentagrophytes type VII?

Trichophyton mentagrophytes type VII is a drug-resistant fungus that causes skin diseases in animals and humans and is transmitted through sexual contact, according to the CDC.

According to the CDC, cases have been identified around the world. The CDC has reported cases in men who have sex with men and in travelers who developed genital ringworm after traveling through Southeast Asia.

In the report, Caplan wrote that the rash looked more like an eczema outbreak than a ringworm infection, which usually forms in a circular pattern on the skin. The dermatologist said the infection is not fatal but can leave permanent scarring.

Caplan said he had already identified the first two cases of another ringworm infection last year. These infections, caused by Trichophyton indotineae, are not sexually transmitted diseases but are contagious and drug-resistant, the doctor reported.

Since then, Caplan’s NYU Langone Health team has identified 11 cases of Trichophyton indotineaeringworm in humans in New York City.

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Report: A new threat to the public

According to a report published in May in the same journal, the 11 cases of ringworm in New York caused by Trichophyton indotinea have so far been linked to travel to Asia. These cases, the doctors said, are resistant to standard therapies, including first-line antifungals.

The report indicates that the fungus poses a new public health threat because it causes ringworm infections that are not usually responded to terbinafine, a first-line oral antifungal drug.

According to the Mayo Clinic, terbinafine is a prescription tablet used to treat fungal infections of the scalp and body, fingernails and toenails, tinea cruris, and athlete’s foot.

Symptoms of Trichophyton mentagrophytes type VII

Symptoms of TMVII include:

Severe itching
Inflamed circular patterns on the skin
Hair and nail problems
Causes of athlete’s foot

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X at @nataliealund.

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