New York On Alert After Rare Sexually-Transmitted Fungal Infection Identified

Pic courtesy emedicinehealth.com

New York: Health officials in New York are on high alert after a resident in his thirties was found to have contracted sexually transmitted ringworm, The New York Post reported.

The highly-infectious strain of fungus is the first of its kind reported in the USA.

“Healthcare providers should be aware that Trichophyton mentagrophytes type VII (TMVII) is the latest in a group of severe skin infections to have now reached the United States,” said Dr Avrom S Caplan, an assistant professor in NYU Grossman School of Medicine’s Dermatology department.

Dr Caplan and Dr John G Zampella recently published a case study about a man who contracted TMVII and got rashes on his genital area, buttocks and limbs.

The person concerned had travelled to England, Greece and California, where he engaged in sexual activities with men, none of whom reported similar skin conditions.

“Since patients are often reluctant to discuss genital problems, physicians need to directly ask about rashes around the groin and buttocks, especially for those who are sexually active, have recently travelled abroad, and report itchy areas elsewhere on the body,” advised Dr Zampella, the senior author of the study.

Cases of TMVII has have been increasing in Europe, particularly among men who have sex with men, according to The New York Post.

Zampella said that TMVII infections appear to respond to standard antifungal therapies like medication terbinafine — also known as Lamisil. But such infections can take months to clear up.

The problem with such infections is that those could also be confused with lesions caused by eczema, which delay treatment. For example, an itchy and contagious skin infection that leads to rashes similar to TMVII is proving to be a big challenge for dermatologists.