Ring worm skin infection:
Let’s understand what is ringworm infection and it’s treatment. As the word suggests the ring worm infection is not caused by any worm, rather it is caused by fungus. Due to fungal infection over skin, it forms a circular patch with infected dry scaly skin with damage to the upper layer of skin. The apearance of the affected skin is like a ring. The ring worm infection circles of the affected skin has elevated circle border as shown in the picture affected skin. There other tenia infection which has different forms and sites of infection over the body parts.
The infection is also called dermatophytosis or Tinea. About forty kinds of species of dermatophytes cause ringworm infection majority of ringworm infections are three types of fungi 1)Microsporum 2) Epidermophyton and 3) Trichophyton.
Ring worm infection is named as per the location of the infection over the body part as follows.
Tinea ungums: Toenails or fingernails are called and over hands it’s called tinea manuum.
Nail and Feet infection is called tinea pedis it’s also known as athlete’s foot and over Beard it’s called (tinea barbae)
Infection over Scalp is called tinea capitis and over Groin and inner thighs, and backsides or buts is known as jock itch is called the tinea cruris. And over the rest of the body part leg and arm it’s called tinea corporis.
How does ringworm infection occur?
Ring worm infection fungi stays alive over the surfaces of linen and floor cloths, pet animals and people infected with the fungi may not exhibit the symptoms but are carriers of the infection through their physical contact and clothes.
Common places like swimming pools, wash room floors, and sitting places made of concrete and wood can also serve as a source of the fungal infection if they remain wet for a longer time.
Person to person contact or use of common garments like towels and bedsheets and direct hand and body contact with infected individuals is one of the major modes of the infection of ringworm fungi.
Using unclean or wet undergarments, and contact with pet animals is also a major reason for ringworm infection.
The patients with weaker immunity are at risk of getting fungal infection. Other underlying disease conditions which are responsible for fungal infection HIV.
Patients with tissue graft and liver transplants who are on immunosuppressive drugs therapy are at risk of fungal infection. Therefore, in such conditions the basic underlying cause should be identified and treated.
How to protect from ringworm infection.
Ringworm fungi is highly contagious and spreads with person to person contact and through contact of infected surfaces, and pet animals.
1.Avoid direct contact with individuals infected with fungi responsible for ringworm infection if you know about the infection.
2. Avoid using common linen like bedsheets and pillow cover or towel.
3. Avoid using unclean and wet undergarments.
4. Avoid using wet clothes.
5. Avoid playing with pet animals with skin infection.
6. Drink water which is filtered through a water filter with micro fine water filters and UV light.
7.Clean flooring with a floor cleaning agent that consists of phenolic disinfectant, like meta-cresol or chloroxylenol.
8.Use clean Linen bed sheets and clothing.
9. If you are taking any medicines you should inform your physician about that so that the treatment of ringworm infection medicine and other medicine should not cause drug reactions.
Medicines used for treatment of ringworm infection:
Topical ointments and creams:
Topical ointments and creams are an important part in the treatment of ringworm infection.
In the beginning of infection small boils arises and are very itchy and painful, followed by eruption of these boils further bacterial infection too occurs over the skin due to inflammation, in order to reduce the inflammation and subsequent bacterial infection a topical cream containing following anti-bacterial and antifungal agents is used.
Cream containing, Chlorhexidine gluconate, Miconazole nitrate, Neomycin Sulphate, or Gentamycin.
Cream containing Bacitracin zinc, neomycin, Tolnaftate, Miconazole nitrate.
Chlorhexidine gluconate is a wide spectrum quaternary ammonium antimicrobial agent is effective against wide range of bacteria, neomycin and gentamicin are antibiotics effective against bacterial as well as fungal infection, Miconazole is antifungal drug used in topical preparations, these creams protects the infected area from further bacterial infection.
Sometimes even after the treatment with topical preparations, ringworm infection stays there over affected skin. In such events oral antifungal medicine as listed below is recommended.
Antifungal drugs for oral use. Following drugs are used orally for fungal infection, ring worm infection.
1)Itraconazole.
2)Terbinafin
3)Ketoconazole
4) Fluconazole
These drugs are used for a wide range of fungal infections like Aspergillosis and fungal infection in the brain. Therefore, consult your physician for dosage of medicines for ringworm infection.
1.Itraconazole: Daily 100 mg to 200 mg dose per day for 15 days is recommended, even after 15 days some ringworm infections do reappear in such events Itraconazole 100 mg per day for next 15 days is recommended.
And other oral antifungal drugs which can be taken orally are prescribed by physicians.
Corticosteroids and ring worm infection avoid corticosteroids.
Corticosteroids may worsen ringworm infection. It may develop lesions over the sikn and cause deep skin infection.
2.Ketoconazole: It is used as antifungal oral medication, patients affected with liver diseases and on certain medicines which increase load on liver must not take ketoconazole. Higher doses of ketoconazole is reported to cause liver damage.
Which species of fungi cause skin infection like ringworm.
Following species causes Fungal infections of skin.
Epidermophyton floccosum
Microsporum canis
Microsporum audouinii
Trichophyton interdigitale/mentagrophytes
Trichophyton tonsurans
Trichophyton schoenleini
Trichophyton rubrum
Trichophyton verrucosum
1.What is aspergillosis?
Aspergilosis is the fungal infection of the lungs
2. Fungal meningitis, which fungus causes meningitis? Line of treatment for fungal meningitis.
Fungal infection in the brain causes fungal meningitis.