
Different species come from different kinds of animals or even from the soil, thus, determining the ringworm species can help determine the source of the fungal infection. There are several species of dermatophyte fungi.
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Skin lesions typically appear one to three weeks after exposure. Infection is transmitted when spores bind to abraded skin. Carriers may be infected animals who do not have obvious lesions (a common scenario towards the end of treatment), or they may be animals who are not actually infected per se but simply have spores on their hairs, just as a couch might have spores on its surface. Infected symptomatic animals have skin lesions rife with fungal spores.

Infection can come from direct contact with an infected symptomatic animal, direct contact with an asymptomatic carrier, or contact with spores in the environment. This means that freshly shaved, scraped, or scratched skin is especially vulnerable. All it takes is skin contact with a spore to cause infection however, the skin must be abraded, as the fungus cannot infect healthy, intact skin. The spores of dermatophyte fungi are extremely hardy in the environment they can live for years. Where Would My Pet Pick Up This Infection? In animals, ringworm frequently looks like a dry, grey, scaly patch but can also mimic any other skin lesion and have any appearance. The characteristic ring appearance is primarily a human phenomenon. Because the ring of irritated, itchy skin looked like a worm, the infection was erroneously named.

The dermatophyte fungi feed upon the dead cells of skin and hair, causing in people a classic round, red lesion with a ring of scale around the edges and normal recovering skin in the center.

The fungi involved are called dermatophytes, and the more scientifically correct name for ringworm is dermatophytosis. Many people are surprised to find that ringworm is not caused by a worm at all but by a fungus.
