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How Does Scalp Ringworm Affect Humans?
by Groshan Fabiola
Ringworm is an infectious disease caused by fungi also named as dermatophites
which affect the scalp, the skin and the nails. In the US 3 – 8 percent of the
population has this disease and children are most affected by it.
This affection occurs in crowded places like boarding schools, nursing centers,
and also affects children who have a problem in their immune system (AIDS,
cancer, diabetes).
The fungi which cause ringworm in humans can also be found in pets and in soil.
The fungi spores can be easily transmitted to others as they can be found on a
fallen infected hair, on brushes, combs, hats, bedding and clothes. If the
person who gets in contact with such a contaminated object also has a minor
injure on the scalp the infection will most probably produce. The spores will
infiltrate the scalp and will feed with the tissue's keratin.
If the scalp gets affected by ringworm, certain symptoms will appear. These
symptoms are: the lesion on the scalp will get red, will form a crust, and then
it will scale. Itching is also present. Eventually the in the affected area the
hair will fall. Also, the local lymph nodes will get swollen, but this can also
happen in other types of ringworm infections.
The black dot ringworm causes infections within the hair shaft. The hair will
break easily and the remains on the surface of the scalp will look like black dots.
In the 1940 and 1950's in US the gray patch ringworm affected a lot of people.
The symptoms were: small, red bumps around the hair shaft in the beginning, which
will transform into scaly and circular "rings". Also, the hair in that area will
become gray and dull and will break off easily. The infected area is quite itchy.
The inflammatory ringworm can also be provided by animals or contaminated soil.
This disease causes small pustules or abscesses, fever, pain, and itchiness.
Sometimes the loss of hair is permanent.
Medical help is needed as this infection does not go away by itself. The doctor
will examine the scalp and will look for scaling or areas of hair loss in order
to diagnose ringworm. A special lamp which gives ultraviolet light will show a
blue-green fluorescent band that this species leaves on the scalp. Also, a
culture and scrapings are also useful in diagnosing ringworm.
In order to collect tissue samples the doctor will scrap the scalp with a
surgical blade and will remove the hair from that area. A toothbrush will be
then run on the scalp for collecting hair and scales. The collected tissues will
be then treated will a 10-15 percent solution of KOH and then the slide is
placed under a microscope to search for fungal spores.
So, if you want to find out more about ringworm medication or even about
ringworm symptoms, please click this website
Ringworm Center
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