First US case of sexually transmitted ringworm reported in NYC man

Experts are warning health care providers to watch out for new and “highly contagious” forms of ringworm.

This comes after the publication of a new report by doctors at New York University’s Langone Health in JAMA Dermatology detailing the first reported case in the United States of a sexually transmitted fungal infection.

The report talks about a man in his 30s who developed tinea, commonly known as ringworm, on his penis, buttocks and limbs after returning home to New York City from visiting England, Greece, and California. Genetic tests of fungal samples collected from the man’s rashes showed the infection was caused by Trichophyton mentagrophytes type VII (TMVII).