From Fox News: Minnesota health officials are warning of an outbreak of a contagious fungal skin infection.
The condition is triggered by Trichophyton mentagrophytes genotype VII (TMVII), the same fungal species that causes ringworm.
The primary symptom is round, red, irritated rashes that spread across the body, which can be itchy and painful, according to the state’s health alert.
“TMVII is a specific type of fungus that is part of a larger family that causes the usually benign but irksome conditions such as ringworm, jock itch and athlete’s foot,” Dr. Hayden Andrews, an infectious disease expert at UT Southwestern Medical Center, told Fox News Digital.
“The symptoms are similar to that of the usual cases of ringworm or jock itch and depend on the part of the body that became infected,” he went on. “These usually manifest as round, itchy spots that may have a rough appearance and could be mistaken as eczema.”
Todd Wills, MD, professor of internal medicine at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, explained, “The populations currently at greatest risk are men who have sex with men and commercial sex workers; however, the infection can be spread from any infected individual.”
The report noted that TMVII spreads through direct skin-to-skin contact with the fungus, including sexual activity, but can also spread via contaminated objects and surfaces, such as sharing towels at the gym or walking around barefoot in communal bathing facilities.
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