2 cases of highly contagious, drug-resistant pathogen identified in NY

The CDC on May 11 released details about the nation's first two cases of a drug-resistant form of ringworm caused by an emerging pathogen known as Trichophyton indotineae.

The ringworm bacteria is caused by mold and leads to highly contagious skin infections that can affect nails, hair and the surface of the skin. T. indotineae is commonly found to be resistant to the common antifungal medication Terbinafine. 

Two cases were discovered in patients by a dermatologist in New York in February, according to the CDC. Both patients "had severe tinea that did not improve with oral terbinafine treatment, raising concern for potential T. indotineae infection," the CDC noted. Further testing in March confirmed the infections were in fact caused by the fungal pathogen. The two patients did not have any epidemiological links between them. 

One of the patients "had no recent international travel history, suggesting potential local U.S. transmission of T. indotineae," the CDC report states.  

The pathogen has several variants that have evolved worldwide since 2017, according to 2022 research documents. The drug-resistant strain of the ringworm causing bacteria emerged in South Asia according to the research. Until now, infections from the strain have not been identified in the U.S.

The CDC urges clinicians "who suspect T. indotineae infection should contact their state or local public health department for assistance with testing, which is available at certain public health laboratories and specialized academic and commercial laboratories."

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