What Ringworm Is:

Ringworm, also known as Tinea Corporis, has nothing to do with worms. Instead, ringworm is a fungal infection characterized by lesions on the skin. These lesions are often round with a clear center. Beyond the center, the lesions appear rough, scaly, and red. The lesions vary in size from very small circular patches to much larger patches.

Ringworm is most often found on the head,

face, and butt. It can also be evident on any area of the skin, especially moist areas of the body where skin surfaces meet. Frequently, it is seen in children, but it is also very common in adults.

Diagnosis is usually done visually, as the lesions are distinct for ringworm. In severe cases, however, the lesion can be scraped and the scales can be mounted in 10%

Potassium hydroxide and examined under a microscope. Examination should reveal septate, branching hyphae, with or without anthrospores. If pure, isolated cultures are needed for diagnosis scales should be inoculated onto Sabouraud glucose agar plates, incubated at 30°C, and discarded after four weeks.

Word Origin: For those interested in terminology, the word tinea has an interesting story. Moth larvae often grew on blankets made out of wool. These larvae or worms would make round holes in the blanket similar to the lesions seen on infected patients. Tinea is the genus name for moth and hence, when physicians decided to give ringworm a Latin name, they include the word Tinea. (Corporis means “body” in Latin.)