What Causes Ringworm?

Ringworm is a form of skin infection. The medical term used for ringworm is tinea. The name 'ringworm' is quite misleading. Many of you may think that it must be caused by some kind of worms. However, the fact is that it results from growth of fungus on the top layer of the skin. It is found in various parts of the body like hands, feet, face, scalp, groin, etc. Due to the fungal infection, the affected part of the skin often get discolored and is accompanied by itching and scaling of the skin. Let us find out what causes ringworm in adults and children.

What Causes Ringworm to Spread?
The fungi that causes ringworm mainly survive in those areas which are warm and moist. They live in soil, on animals and pets and also on those parts of human body that sweats a lot. As they are contagious, they can spread easily from one person to another through direct contact of the skin of an infected person. It can also spread from the skin or fur of various animals like cats, dogs, goats, pigs etc. When we touch these animals for petting or grooming, then the fungi on their body may get transferred to our skin.

Apart from these direct contacts, ringworm can get transmitted through the contact of those objects that are being used by an infected person. It could be clothing, bedding, combs, toys, locker rooms, weight equipment and so on. In some rare cases, it has been found that human got the infection from the infected soil. As the soil is rich in nutrients, these fungi can grow and survive in them for a long period of time. If a person has a prolonged exposure to such soil, then he or she can get infected. The common source of ringworm in children is the infected pet cat or dog. They can also get it from school and day care center where they handle toys and other items that are used by other children.

Symptoms of Ringworm
There are different types of ringworm that cause infection in different parts of the body. Each of them show some unique signs and symptoms The ringworm that affects the hands is known as tinea manus. As a result of which the skin in areas like palm and in between fingers tends to become hard. Similarly, tinea pedis causes hardening up of the soles and heels. Tinea cruris infects the groin area and causes itching and scaling of the skin. The infection by tinea corporis is characterized by the typical round spot of ringworm. Tinea capitus is responsible for causing bald patches on the scalp.

If you are interested to know what causes ringworm on the face, then let me tell you that there are two ringworm species that may affect the facial skin. Tinea barbae is the one that mainly affects the bearded part of the face and neck in those people who have coarse hair on the face. It results in swelling, itching and breaking off facial hair. On the other hand, Tinea faciei (faciale) infects the facial skin but not the part where facial hair grows. It gives red, scaly irregular fungal rash on face.

Treatment
Ringworm requires a very mild form of treatment. In most cases, the infection can be cured by topical application of antifungal creams and lotions only. These creams can be availed with or without any prescription. Though it is advisable to consult a doctor first. Usually, the skin rashes disappear within two weeks. However, your doctor may ask to continue to apply the medicines to prevent the infection from coming back. If it does not show any improvement in the first two weeks of treatment, then doctors administer oral medicines to destroy the fungus. These medicines may have to be continued for around three months.

Now as you know what causes ringworm, you can understand that its prevention is difficult. Avoiding close contact with the infected person can only reduce the chances of infection to some extent. Avoid sharing of clothing, towels, brushes etc. with other people in gym, swimming pools and other such places. If your pet shows signs of infection, then it should be given proper treatment.