A first confirmed case of antifungal-resistant ringworm has been recorded in KwaZulu-Natal, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) confirmed, saying two people were being treated for the condition.
Trichophyton indotineae is the first infection of its kind in Africa, reports News24, with the NICD confirming the positive diagnosis a week before Christmas, reporting it in the Public Health Surveillance Bulletin.
Also known as Trichophyton mentagrophytes type VIII, it is described as an antifungal-resistant fungus resulting in extensive disfiguring, and difficult-to-treat ringworm infections.
The head of the Centre for Healthcare-Associated Infections, Antimicrobial Resistance and Mycoses, Professor Nalesh Govender, said the true number of antifungal-resistant ringworm cases was difficult to estimate, “because testing to determine whether antifungal medicines can effectively treat a ringworm is not widely available”.
He added that this was first confirmed case of the Trichophyton indotineae ringworm infection on the continent, and reasons for the condition could include:
• Over-use of over-the-counter topical antifungal creams;
• Inappropriate use of potent topical steroid creams by people with rashes;
• Inappropriate prescription of antifungal medicines;
• Global travel and migration from regions where the antifungal-resistant infections are more common.
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health said it was unaware of the antifungal-resistant infection.
News24 article – SA records first confirmed case of antifungal-resistant infection in KZN
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