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Ringworm is a common skin infection that is caused by a fungus. It's called "ringworm" because it can cause a circular rash (shaped like a ring) that is usually red and itchy. Anyone can get ringworm. The fungi that cause this infection can live on skin, surfaces, and on household items such as clothing, towels, and bedding.

Ringworm goes by many names. The medical terms are "tinea" or "dermatophytosis." Other names for ringworm are based on its location on the body - for example, ringworm on the feet is also called "athlete's foot."

Learn more about how steroid creams can make ringworm worse.

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Ringworm is a red circular skin infection caused by fungus. It is called different names based on its location on the body - for example, ringworm on the feet is also called "athlete's foot."

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There are three names for fungi that cause ringworm: Trichophyton, Microsporum, and Epidermophyton.

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- Usually a physician can diagnose ringworm by visually inspecting the affected area. However, skin samples may be collected to view under a microscope or to be tested for fungal cultures in the lab.
- In the case of Microsporum canis or audouinii infection, a UV light can be used to diagnose them as the underlying infectious agent because they fluoresce blue-green under Wood's Lamp.

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Ringworm infection can be called different names by the area of the infection. For instance, a ringworm infection on the feet is commonly reffered to as "Athlete's Foot" while a ringworm infection around the genitals is referred to as "Jock Itch".
Ringworm is also most common in contact-sport athletes, especially in wrestlers.

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GW researchers find nitric-oxide releasing nanoparticles as viable treatment for fungal skin infections:

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GW researchers find nitric-oxide releasing nanoparticles as viable treatment for fungal skin infections:

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When dermatophytosis enters deeper layers of the skin, it is usually treated with systemic anti-fungals. These treatments can be lengthy and have negative side-effects, however. New research shows however that topical nitric-oxide releasing nanoparticles might also be an effective treatment without the drawbacks and interactions of systemic antifungals.
Citation: Friedman, A., MD. (2019, June 20). GW researchers find nitric oxide-releasing nanoparticles as viable treatment for fungal skin infections. Retrieved December 13, 2020, from https://www.news-medical.net/news/20170731/GW-researchers-find-nitric-oxide-releasing-nanoparticles-as-viable-treatment-for-fungal-skin-infections.aspx

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George Washington University (GW) researchers have found that topically applied nitric oxide-releasing nanoparticles (NO-np) are a viable treatment for deep fungal infections of the skin caused by dermatophytes, for which the current standard of care is treatment with systemic antifungals.

Dermatophytosis, or ringworm, is a fungal infection of the skin, hair, or nails that affects millions of people around the world. While superficial infections can often be managed with topical agents, fungal infections which infiltrate the hair follicle or into deeper layers of the skin can only be effectively treated with oral or systemic antifungal therapies. Topical antifungals offer limited penetration through the skin.

"Systemic antifungals, while effective, can come with some baggage, given the duration of treatment can be lengthy. They are also known for their ability to adversely interact with many commonly used medications such as blood thinners and anti-hypertensives, or even cause various side effects themselves," said Adam Friedman, MD, associate professor of dermatology at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences and senior author of the study. "The purpose of this study was to explore whether nanotechnology -- materials that are billionths of a meter -- could be used to overcome need for systemic medications, which would ultimately be safer and easier on the patient."

Friedman and collaborators at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine turned to nitric oxide, a natural, gaseous immunomodulator with broad-spectrum, multi-faceted antimicrobial activity, as the ideal agent for treatment.

"While we have known for decades that nitric oxide has tremendous potential in so many areas of medicine, its use has been limited due to the lack of effective delivery systems," Friedman said. "Here we used a well-studied nanoparticle that can actually make nitric oxide, not just release it, and deliver therapeutic levels over time to attack these deep and difficult to reach infections."

In an animal model, the research team found that NO-np facilitated a quicker, more impactful response to treatment over the commercially available topical terbinafine, showing 95 percent of infection clearance by the third day of treatment. These findings are in line with multiple previous reports utilizing the NO-np against fungal and bacterial surgical wound and burn infection.

"The next step is to scale up the technology for clinical trial use in several therapeutic areas given the diverse clinical implications of the nitric oxide producing nanoformulation, as well as the platform overall given its unique ability to encapsulate and deliver a broad range of active ingredients," Friedman explained. "Dermatophyte infections impact such a large, diverse population, so it's important to find new treatments that are safe and more effective for all patients."

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GW researchers find nitric oxide-releasing nanoparticles as viable treatment for fungal skin infections

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George Washington University (GW) researchers have found that topically applied nitric oxide-releasing nanoparticles (NO-np) are a viable treatment for deep fungal infections of the skin caused by dermatophytes, for which the current standard of care is treatment with systemic antifungals.

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Tinea or Dermatophytosis, commonly known as ringworm, is a common fungal infecton of the skin that causes a red, itchy, circular rash. The fungi that causes ringworm (there are 40 different kinds) can live on a myriad of surfaces from household objects, and can commonly be transferred to humans from animals.

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Gruby was the first to describe the fungus Microsporum adouinii in 1843, one fungus that causes ringworm.

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- Red, itchy circular rash.
- Flaky skin
- Hair loss (when experienced on the scalp)

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Prevention - Anybody can get ringworm, however, people may decrease their chances of getting a ringworm infection by avoiding high susceptibility areas like showers, locker rooms, animals (especially wild), and even from overly sweating. By maintaining good hygeine by washing ones hands, staying dry, and changing clothes regularly, one can reduce their chance of acquiring dermatophytosis.
Treatment - Topical antifungal ointments can be used to treat a superficial infection along with keeping the infected area clean and dry. Deeper infections of the skin or hair follicles, however, requires systemic antifungals that can have adverse effects/interactions.