CDC reports first 2 U.S. cases of drug-resistant ringworm in New York City
By Joe FisherMay 11 (UPI) -- Two cases of a rare, highly contagious and severe type of ringworm have been reported in New York City.
This strand of tinea, commonly known as ringworm, is resistant to antifungal treatments that typically are effective at treating ringworm. Earlier this year, a dermatologist in New York City reported two patients had severe ringworm that did not get better with treatment, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
These are the first two confirmed cases in the United States.
The drug-resistant ringworm, called Trichophyton indotineae, caused a widespread rash that covered most of both patients' entire bodies.
A 47-year-old female patient developed a severe rash last summer while in Bangladesh. The other patient, a 28-year-old woman, showed similar symptoms while pregnant in the summer of 2021. She was not evaluated until December 2021, when she was in her third trimester. She had not traveled internationally before developing the rash.
The CDC notes that neither patient had underlying health conditions that would indicate they are especially vulnerable to this type of infection. Since one patient had not traveled outside of the United States it is likely that Trichophyton indotineae is circulating locally.
The CDC is urging healthcare providers to consider Trichophyton indotineae infection if patients show ringworm symptoms that do not improve with "first-line topical antifungal agents or oral terbinafine."
Trichophyton indotineae is believed to have developed in South Asia over the last decade. The CDC said it has likely developed because of the "misuse and overuse of topical antifungals and corticosteroids."
.
