Which microbe causes ringworm

Tinea pedis. Tinea cruris. Tinea capitis. Tinea barbae. Tinea Manuum. Tinea unguium. Precautions for Fungal Infection. To avoid fungal infections like ringworm we must take some precautions.

Maintain good personal hygiene. Add more green vegetables to diet along with proteins. Wash footwear and socks regularly to keep them clean.

Ringworm Mode of Transmission. No worm is involved in causing ringworm disease, as we know it is a fungal infection. This disease is transmitted through direct contact of a fungus with the skin. This contact may occur due to the user object of the infected person as mentioned earlier.

Ringworm Fungal Infection Treatment. The best way to treat fungal infection is anti-fungal creams. Animal male ringworm infection is treated with topical therapy, in which anti-fungal cream is also used. Also, medicated cream ointments are used. Ringworm Diagnosis. Ringworms are usually diagnosed by the observation of red lesions on the skin.

But this is not a very accurate way and this could misdiagnose. Few ringworms causing fungi show fluorescence under black light. Hay RJ. Dermatophytosis ringworm and other superficial mycoses. Editorial team. Ringworm can affect the skin on your: Beard, tinea barbae Body, tinea corporis Feet, tinea pedis also called athlete's foot Groin area, tinea cruris also called jock itch Scalp, tinea capitis.

Alternative Names. Dermatophytid; Dermatophyte fungal infection - tinea; Tinea. Dermatitis - reaction to tinea Ringworm - tinea corporis on an infant's leg Ringworm, tinea capitis - close-up Ringworm - tinea on the hand and leg Ringworm - tinea manuum on the finger Ringworm - tinea corporis on the leg Tinea ringworm.

Tinea Infections Read more. One clue to the diagnosis is that hair removal is painless in tinea barbae but painful in bacterial infections. Like tinea capitis, tinea barbae is treated with oral antifungal therapy. Treatment is continued for two to three weeks after resolution of the skin lesions. Tinea faciei tends to occur in the non-bearded area of the face.

The patient may complain of itching and burning, which become worse after sunlight exposure. Some round or annular red patches are present. Often, however, red areas may be indistinct, especially on darkly pigmented skin, and lesions may have little or no scaling or raised edges. The differential diagnosis includes seborrheic dermatitis, rosacea, discoid lupus erythematosus, and contact dermatitis. A high index of suspicion, along with a KOH microscopy of scrapings from the leading edge of the skin change, may help in establishing the diagnosis.

Treatment is similar to that for tinea corporis. Tinea manuum is a fungal infection of one or, occasionally, both hands Figure 4.

It often occurs in patients with tinea pedis. The palmar surface is diffusely dry and hyperkeratotic. When the fingernails are involved, vesicles and scant scaling may be present, and the condition resembles dyshidrotic eczema. The differential diagnosis includes contact dermatitis, psoriasis, and callus formation. Topical antifungal therapy and the application of emollients containing lactic acid e. Tinea manuum, with extensive scaling, hyperkeratosis, erythema, and inflammation of the extensor surface of the hand.

This dermatophytosis is more common in men than in women and is frequently associated with tinea pedis. Tinea cruris occurs when ambient temperature and humidity are high. Occlusion from wet or tight-fitting clothing provides an optimal environment for infection. Tinea cruris affects the proximal medial thighs and may extend to the buttocks and abdomen.

The scrotum tends to be spared. Patients with this dermatophytosis frequently complain of burning and pruritus. Pustules and vesicles at the active edge of the infected area, along with maceration, are present on a background of red, scaling lesions with raised borders. The feet should be evaluated as a source of the infection.

Conditions that need to be distinguished from tinea cruris are listed in Table 3. Adjunctive treatment can include a low-dose corticosteroid e. Rarely, systemic antifungal therapy is needed for refractory tinea cruris. Patient education on avoiding prolonged exposure to moisture and keeping the affected area dry is important. Uniformly brown and scaly, with no active edge; fluoresces a brilliant coral red.

Silvery scale and sharp margination; pitted nails; knee, elbow, and scalp lesions. Information from references 20 and Tinea pedis, or athlete's foot, has three common presentations. The interdigital form of tinea pedis is most common.

It is characterized by fissuring, maceration, and scaling in the interdigital spaces of the fourth and fifth toes. Patients with this infection complain of itching or burning. A second form, usually caused by Trichophyton rubrum , has a moccasin-like distribution pattern in which the plantar skin becomes chronically scaly and thickened, with hyperkeratosis and erythema of the soles, heels, and sides of the feet.

The vesiculobullous form of tinea pedis Figure 5 is characterized by the development of vesicles, pustules, and sometimes bullae in an inflammatory pattern, usually on the soles. The differential diagnosis includes contact dermatitis, eczema, and pustular psoriasis.

Vesiculobullous form of tinea pedis, with hyperpigmentation resulting from intense inflammation of the lesions. Streptococcal cellulitis is a potential complication of all three forms of tinea pedis. Streptococcal infection of normal skin is unlikely. However, the presence of fungal maceration and fissuring permits streptococci to colonize the web spaces between the toes in patients with tinea pedis.

The clinical features of symptomatic athlete's foot are a result of the interaction of fungi and bacteria. Treatment of tinea pedis involves application of an antifungal cream to the web spaces and other infected areas. Infrequently, systemic therapy is used for refractory infections. In several studies, twice-daily application of the allylamine terbinafine resulted in a higher cure rate than twice-daily application of the imidazole clotrimazole Lotrimin; 97 percent versus 84 percent , and at a quicker rate one week for terbinafine versus four weeks for clotrimazole.

When marked inflammation and vesicle formation occur and signs of early cellulitis are present, the addition of a systemic or topical antibiotic with streptococcal coverage is warranted. Reinfection is common, especially if onychomycosis is present. Nail infections should be treated. In addition, footwear should be disinfected, and patients with tinea pedis should avoid walking barefoot in public areas such as locker rooms. Other measures to reduce recurrence include controlling hyperhidrosis with powders and wearing absorbent socks and nonocclusive shoes.

Tinea unguium, a dermatophyte infection of the nail, is a subset of onychomycosis, which also may be caused by yeast and non-dermatophyte molds.

Onychomycosis accounts for about 40 to 50 percent of nail dystrophies. Because onychomycosis requires expensive, prolonged therapy three to four months for fingernail infections and four to six months for toenail infections , the diagnosis should be confirmed before treatment is initiated 24 , 25 Table 4. Periodic acid-Schiff staining with histologic examination of the clipped, distal free edge of the nail and attached subungual debris is the most sensitive diagnostic method and is painless for patients.

Tinea unguium, especially of the toenails, is difficult to eradicate. Topical agents have low efficacy. Mycologic cure rates for ciclopirox Penlac nail lacquer, applied daily for up to 48 weeks, have ranged from 29 to 47 percent. Fluconazole has not been studied extensively in the treatment of onychomycosis and is not labeled by the FDA for this indication.

Scrape the most proximal subungual area; examine on a KOH-treated, warmed glass slide see Table 1. Scrape the most proximal subungual area; send scrapings in a sterile container to a hospital or reference laboratory, or spread scrapings on Dermatophyte Test Medium see Table 1.

Clip the distal edge of the nail, along with attached subungual debris; place the most proximal sample in formalin for histologic examination in a hospital or reference laboratory. Mycologic and clinical cure rates are similar for 12 weeks of treatment with itraconazole in a dosage of mg per day and terbinafine in a dosage of mg per day. Intermittent itraconazole therapy, in a dosage of mg per day for seven days of each of four months, and intermittent terbinafine therapy are similarly effective.

Already a member or subscriber? Log in. Interested in AAFP membership? Learn more. Address correspondence to Barry L. Hainer, M. Box , Charleston, SC e-mail: hainerbl musc.

Reprints are not available from the author. The author indicates that he does not have any conflicts of interest. Sources of funding: none reported. Figures 1 , 4 , and 5 courtesy of Bruce H. Thiers, M. Figure 3 courtesy of Pearon Lang, M.

Hirschmann JV. Fungal, bacterial, and viral infections of the skin. New York: Scientific American, Inc. Superficial fungal infection: dermatophytosis, tinea nigra, piedra. In: Freedberg IM, et al. Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in general medicine. New York: McGraw-Hill, — Rosen T. Dermatophytosis: diagnostic pointers and therapeutic pitfalls. Treatment of tinea capitis.

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