Minnesota Officials Forced to Sound the Alarms Over Fungal STD Outbreak

And the hits just keep on coming for the Gopher State.

While Minnesota grapples with the fallout from its own fraud scandals and Immigration and Customs Enforcement-related issues, the beleaguered state now has a massive health problem festering within its borders.

On Feb. 11, the Minnesota Department of Health put out a release noting the sudden outbreak of TMVII (pronounced: T-M-Seven), or Trichophyton mentagrophytes genotype VII.

The release explained, “Trichophyton mentagrophytes genotype VII (TMVII) is a recently emerged dermatophyte fungus that can cause tinea (ringworm) associated with sexual contact.”

It would go on to note that the first case of genital ringworm associated with TMVII was recorded in June 2024 in New York.

Minnesota has since become ground zero for TMVII.

In July 2025, the first case in the state was confirmed. Since then, over 30 confirmed or suspected cases have been reported, “resulting in the largest known outbreak of TMVII in the United States.”

“CDC is aware of other sporadic cases of TMVII among men who have sex with men, primarily in larger cities across the U.S. TMVII can cause severe ringworm, often involving the genitals, buttock, thigh and abdominal areas,” the release said.

The primary symptom is round, red rashes that spread across the body. Fox News noted that these rashes will often turn itchy and painful.

The problems keep piling on in Minnesota. Now, health officials are warning about the spread of Trichophyton mentagrophytes genotype VII, or TMVII. Gross. pic.twitter.com/Al31tsXlXB

— Mean McNugget (@mean_nugget) February 18, 2026

“TMVII is a specific type of fungus that is part of a larger family that causes the usually benign but irksome conditions such as ringworm, jock itch and athlete’s foot,” one doctor explained to Fox News.

“The symptoms are similar to that of the usual cases of ringworm or jock itch and depend on the part of the body that became infected,” the doctor added. “These usually manifest as round, itchy spots that may have a rough appearance and could be mistaken as eczema.”

The fungal infection spreads primarily through skin-to-skin contact. But fungal spores can also spread through communal contact, like with gym equipment, for instance.

Additionally, TMVII appears to be the only fungal sexually transmitted disease.

“The populations currently at greatest risk are men who have sex with men and commercial sex workers; however, the infection can be spread from any infected individual,” a medical professor told Fox News.

Treatment for TMVII generally takes six to eight weeks, though in some advanced cases, it can take as long as 12 weeks.

Those who are immunocompromised and/or a having a history of STDs are at higher risk of infection.

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