Cases of trichophyton indotineae – a drug-resistant fungal infection that causes unsightly skin lesions all over the body – have surged by 500% with the fungus becoming ‘a really big problem’
A drug-resistant ‘super fungus’ that targets the groin and bum is spreading rapidly across Britain. Cases of trichophyton indotineae – which triggers unsightly, stubborn skin lesions all over the body – are now rocketing in the UK, despite being virtually unknown just a few years ago.
Cases have surged by 500% in the past three years, with one fungus expert describing it as “a really big problem”.
The infection is triggered by a highly contagious fungus and is typically caught through direct skin contact with somebody who’s infected. However it can also be transmitted via contaminated surfaces, household objects or sexual contact. Most alarmingly, it has been found to resist treatment – leaving patients waiting weeks for the rashes to clear.
Initial symptoms of T. indotineae infections typically appear as circular lesions around the groin or buttocks, before spreading to elsewhere on the body.
The fungus triggers a severe and particular type of ringworm, a widespread infection which has been known by medics for centuries, but has evolved resistance to most antifungal medications, reports the Mirror.
While most cases have been concentrated in Asia for now, Professor Darius Armstrong-James, a fungal specialist at Imperial College London, said patients were now arriving with the condition at British hospitals.
He told The Sun: “It’s becoming a really big problem in the UK. We don’t know how endemic, or pandemic, it will get here, but already, the growing frequency of new cases coming into hospitals is very concerning.”
He said instances of trichophyton indotineae have skyrocketed by nearly 500% in the past three years, with the condition seldom diagnosed before this period.
Until recently, the majority of cases were found on the Indian subcontinent, where the infection is reportedly nearing epidemic levels since its first recorded appearance around 2014.
The UK is among several countries witnessing a rise in confirmed cases from what was previously almost non-existent, with the spread believed to be due to increased global travel.
In May, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued an alert to healthcare professionals, advising that individuals with persistent or recurrent ringworm infections or those who have not responded to standard treatment should be considered as potential T. indotineae cases.
Some instances in the UK have been associated with travel or interaction with travellers from regions with high prevalence, including South Asia – although as many as 74% of those testing positive had no recent travel history, indicating local transmission.
In the US, the initial cases were confirmed in New York City in early 2023, following reports from dermatologists of patients with severe ringworm unresponsive to standard oral antifungal treatments. Physicians in France and Germany have also reported numerous infections since 2021.
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