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As if we didn't have enough diseases to worry about -- the CDC says two cases of a drug-resistant ringworm have been detected in the U.S.
A doctor in New York identified a case of tinea in a 47-year-old woman recently. The woman had recently traveled to Bangladesh and developed a rash that did not respond to antifungal creams. After making the diagnosis, Dr. Avrom Caplan reached out to other doctors in the city to see if anyone else had encountered a similar case. It turned out that another woman had contracted tinea in the summer of 2021, and had not traveled outside the country.
Drug-resistant fungi, like bacteria, likely developed due to over-prescription to treat lesser infections. Ringworm, which is not actually a worm, spreads easily through skin-to-skin contact. It's most common in children -- look for a circular pattern of raised, itchy scales.
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