Tinea

Ringworm (tinea) has nothing to do with worms, but is a common and harmless skin infection caused by several different types of fungi. The name is due to the characteristic ring-shaped appearance of the rash. Ringworm is caused by a fungal infection in the outermost layer of the skin.

The infection is often easily recognizable with an itchy rash and a red ring around the affected area. Anyone can be affected by ringworm, but it is more common in children. Athlete's foot (tinea pedis) is also a common form of ringworm. The condition is usually completely harmless.

What is ringworm?

Ringworm, or tinea, is a common and harmless skin infection caused by several different types of fungi. The rash can appear on many different areas and the body, and will then have a slightly different appearance. The name comes from the type of fungal infection you get on the body skin, where the rash has a characteristic ring-shaped appearance. Ringworm causes a light, itchy rash in the outermost layer of the skin.

Athlete's foot is today the most common form of ringworm, and usually affects young people and adults. The infection can also occur on the rest of the body and on the scalp, and in all age groups. Nevertheless, ringworm on the body is more common in children, and infection can occur in nurseries.

The fungal infection spreads easily from person to person, via indirect contact or from domestic animals. In rare cases, ringworm can also be transmitted via soil. The fungus can also cause rashes in the beard, nails, abdomen and hands.

Different types of ringworm

Ringworm can cause infections in different places on the body, and the different locations give names to the different types of fungal infections:

Tinea corporis is ringworm on the body. This infection causes ring-shaped skin lesions anywhere on the body. This type of ringworm can occur at any age, but occurs most often in children. Countries with a warmer climate are more at risk.

Tinea capitis is ringworm of the scalp. This form of ringworm most often affects children, but in rare cases can affect adults. Scalp ringworm is highly contagious.

Tinea cruris is ringworm in the crotch/groin. Seen almost only in men and hot and humid climates make the infection more common.

Tinea unguium is nail fungus. Nail fungus causes thickened, yellow, porous and eventually deformed nails. Toenails are attacked more often than nails on the hand, due to moisture. More common in adult men.

Tinea barbae is fungus in the beard.

Tinea manum is fungus inside the palm of the hand. This fungal infection is very similar to athlete's foot, but you often get a bigger skin reaction.

Tinea pedis is athlete's foot. Athlete's foot is most common among young people and adults, rarely seen in children. Humidity and a lot of sweating on the legs are risk factors.

Cause of ringworm

Ringworm is caused by several different types of fungi, but the most common are fungi of the dermatophyte type. Fungi feed on dead skin cells on the epidermis, and in the event of a fungal infection, the body reacts to the fungus's metabolic waste products with inflammatory reactions. Ringworm occurs when the fungus multiplies and a local inflammatory reaction occurs in the skin of the affected area. The fungus spreads outwards in a ring-shaped pattern, and is fought from the center of the infection site outwards, hence the characteristic appearance that is often seen, especially with ringworm on the body.

The different forms of fungal infection can produce different degrees of inflammatory reactions. For example, athlete's foot will often give a milder reaction, which can lead to the body not reacting strongly enough to fight the infection. Then the infection may require medical treatment to disappear, or become chronic and infect others.

Symptoms of ringworm

• Local rash.

• Mild itching.

• With ringworm on the feet, loose and moist skin is often seen between the toes or dry and flaky skin under the feet.

• With fungus in the crotch, you often see a sharply limited rash, which runs down both thighs. This rash is not ring-shaped.

• Ringworm on the body often shows a characteristic red ring with normal skin in the middle.

• One or more rings.

• Some people can have ringworm without getting a red ring around the affected area.

• With nail fungus, you see discolouration, thickening and brittle nails.

• In the case of beard fungus, widespread inflammation with crust formation is seen.

Sometimes a fungal infection can also cause an itchy rash elsewhere on the body. This rash may have small blisters. This type of rash is not entirely sure why it occurs, but it is probably an allergic reaction to substances that the fungus produces and which end up in the bloodstream, so that it is transported to other parts of the body.

Ringworm infection

The ringworm is transmitted both by direct infection and by indirect infection. Direct infection is contact with people and animals that are infected. As a rule, humans are infected by cats, dogs and rodents, but infection from cattle has also been observed.

Indirect contact infection can happen via things like hairbrushes, pillows, bedding and even underwear. In nurseries, the fungus can spread through toys, mats and other common objects. Athlete's foot is particularly contagious in moist environments such as wet tiles, showers, towels and the like.

Fungal infections on the body can spread easily in sports environments that involve a lot of direct body contact and sweaty bodies. Wrestling in particular is postponed. On the other hand, nail fungus rarely infects, often it can be isolated to one nail, without infecting the neighboring nail.

Incubation period and course of disease in ringworm

It takes approx. 1-2 weeks from when one is exposed to infection until the fungal infection breaks out. Sometimes, depending on the inflammatory reaction, the infection can go away on its own after a while, while other times medical treatment is required. At the start of treatment, the risk of infection disappears quickly, within a day