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Fungal infections can show up in some pretty unusual ways , and a neat , " snarl - like " pattern of concentric pack on the skin is one of them .
Such was the case for a young woman in Fiji , whoserash , typified by a distinctive , swirling figure , was triggered by the fungusTrichophyton concentricum , according to a recent study of her case .
This image shows a young woman’s rash, caused by the fungus Trichophyton concentricum.
The 18 - class - former woman severalize doctors that she had had the fidgety roseola for three years , fit in to the brief report , which was published Dec. 7 inThe New England Journal of Medicine . When she saw the MD , the blizzard cover about 70 percent of her body .
The fungus , which have an infection called tinea imbricata , is rare in the United States , said Dr. Carrick Burns , a dermatologist at the United States Naval Hospital Yokosuka in Japan and the lead writer of the report . Burns treat the woman in Fiji . [ Here ’s a Giant List of the Strangest Medical Cases We ’ve Covered ]
The fungus is normally found in regions such as the South Pacific and Central America , however , Burns said . He mark that he had never seen a case of ringworm imbricata before working in the South Pacific in 2015 .
This image shows a young woman’s rash, caused by the fungus Trichophyton concentricum.
The contagion is rare , but has some plebeian cousins , let in athlete ’s foot and tinea . Indeed , the medical terminus for a ringworm infection is " ringworm , " accord to theNational Library of Medicine , and athlete ’s foot , or " tinea pedis , " is also cognize as " tinea of the foot . " Both fungous infection can be do by kingdom Fungi of the same genus as the one that causes the ringworm imbricata transmission , Trichophyton .
Though these infections ' appearances dissent , aT. concentricuminfection has similarities to those that are make by otherTrichophytonspecies , Burns recite Live Science .
As withathlete ’s foot or roundworm , for deterrent example , the contagion is noninvasive , Burns said . In other words , the infection does n’t spread out beyond a person ’s skin . The grownup risk to a person is that the fungus make theoutermost layer of the skinto break down down , provide a path for bacterium to enter . This can conduct to bacterial infections , Burns say .
The woman in Fiji tell the Dr. that she had taken anti - fungous medication in the past , and they temporarily solve up the rash , according to the written report . Burns noted that it can be unmanageable to completely get rid of the transmission when patients live in remote areas , because the medicinal drug are expensive and hard to get access to . And in some cases , the roseola occur back only because the person becomes re - infected , he said .
When the doctors saw the adult female , they consecrate her more anti - fungal medications to get free of her " fighting infection , " they wrote in the report . They also advised her to soak her skin in a diluted vinegar to preclude the infection from coming back , they write . [ 7 Home remedy That Actually Work ( and the Science Behind Them ) ]
Vinegar , or acetic acid , " is an excellent disinfectant that can treat and prevent superficial bacterial and fungous infections , " Burns said . It ’s particularly useful in areas of the domain where other options , such as medicated ointment , are not available , he said . Vinegar tend to be available in " even the most remote locations , " he lend .
In addition to helping prevent infections , vinegar also has a " keratolytic effect , " meaning that it serve remove supernumerary skin , Burns tell . Rashes such as ringworm imbricata can lead to a buildup of flaky , descale hide , and vinegar can serve remove it .
in the first place issue onLive Science .
