A once-rare drug-resistant genital fungus, previously almost unseen in Britain, is now spreading rapidly among families across the UK, prompting warnings from health experts. Trichophyton indotineae, a highly contagious ringworm-type infection that has become resistant to standard antifungal treatments, has surged by nearly 500 per cent in three years, new data shows.
The infection, which can cause severe red, itchy rashes across the groin, buttocks, thighs and other parts of the body, is not life-threatening but is extremely difficult to treat. Patients often require hospital-based courses of itraconazole, a medication known to carry significant toxic side effects, including risks to the liver and heart.
Professor Darius Armstrong-James, a fungal specialist at Imperial College London, said cases have risen sharply and warned that the growing frequency of infections entering hospitals is “very concerning.” New data presented at an international health conference last week shows cases in the UK and Ireland rising from just 44 before 2022 to 258 as of March 2025.
The fungus, first detected in India in 2014, has since mutated, gaining resistance to common antifungal medicines. Doctors say it spreads easily through contaminated household items such as towels, bedding and clothing, and can also be linked to close skin-to-skin contact. Clusters of cases have been reported within families, and experts warn that misdiagnosis is common because the infection can resemble eczema or psoriasis.
Dr David Denning of the University of Manchester described the rash as “angry” and “formidable,” noting that if left untreated it can spread to the face, become painful and inflamed, and leave permanent scarring. He said the condition can be so socially limiting that some sufferers feel unable to leave their homes or go to work.
Most UK cases so far are in people of South Asian heritage, but experts warn the fungus will likely spread more widely. The youngest recorded patient in the UK is just two years old.
The rise of T. indotineae comes amid growing global concerns over antimicrobial resistance in fungi, including drug-resistant strains such as Candidozyma auris, which has spread in UK hospitals over the past decade. Despite the threat, fungal diseases remain significantly under-researched, and NHS dermatology waiting times, often stretching beyond 18 weeks, mean many patients remain infectious for far longer than necessary.
Experts say the continued spread of drug-resistant fungi has “major implications” for public health as more pathogens evolve beyond the reach of existing treatments.
