Are you thinking right now that ringworm is a scary, creepy-crawly invasion of critters on your body? Luckily this common thought is not the case. Understandably, many people mistake ringworm to be a parasitic worm infection due to the descriptive common name for this fungal infection. The good news is that this infection is not caused by worms. If it’s not a worm, however... what exactly is it? Ringworm is an infection caused by a fungus most commonly known as Trichophyton Rubrum. Also, this infection can be known as Tines Corporis. However recently, "The organism T. Tonsurans has become the leading cause of infection in the U.S., and we believe it is on the rise in inner city areas," said Susan Abdel-Rahman, Pharm.D., lead study author and
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The growth and frequency of this type of fungus varies depending on factors such as geographic areas, age, weather, anatomic sites, and etiologic agents. The fungi survive by eating plant or animal material. In this case, the fungi feed on the material found in the outer layer of our skin, hair, and nails commonly known as keratin. Ringworm appears as inflammation, rash, and swelling of the skin, scalp, soft tissue and nails. Often people can mistake ringworm as a common rash. However, with time, the rash turns into a crusted ring around the infected area. Hence, this is where the common name ringworm oriented from. In the past, Microsporum species were the main cause of ringworm, often passed to humans from animals and pets. However, in recent years, T. Tonsurans has surfaced. The T. Tonsurans fungus spreads directly among humans, causing more of a challenge to prevent and treat the infection. According to the study of 10,514 children in grades K through 5 across 44 schools, the doctor- scientists found that 6.6 percent of the children evaluated were infected with T. Tonsurans (Abdel-Rahman, Farrand, Schueneman, Stering, Pruett, Magie, Campbell 2010).
The growth and frequency of this type of fungus varies depending on factors such as geographic areas, age, weather, anatomic sites, and etiologic agents. The fungi survive by eating plant or animal material. In this case, the fungi feed on the material found in the outer layer of our skin, hair, and nails commonly known as keratin. Ringworm appears as inflammation, rash, and swelling of the skin, scalp, soft tissue and nails. Often people can mistake ringworm as a common rash. However, with time, the rash turns into a crusted ring around the infected area. Hence, this is where the common name ringworm oriented from. In the past, Microsporum species were the main cause of ringworm, often passed to humans from animals and pets. However, in recent years, T. Tonsurans has surfaced. The T. Tonsurans fungus spreads directly among humans, causing more of a challenge to prevent and treat the infection. According to the study of 10,514 children in grades K through 5 across 44 schools, the doctor- scientists found that 6.6 percent of the children evaluated were infected with T. Tonsurans (Abdel-Rahman, Farrand, Schueneman, Stering, Pruett, Magie, Campbell 2010).