Fungi at Your Feet

Can you ever imagine that our feet have nearly 200 different types of fungi and they have their favorite spots too?

Our skin is home to many harmless fungi which can cause infection in case they multiply. The favorite spots for the fungi are between toes, under toenails and the heel. This information can be of great help in tackling skin conditions like athlete's foot.

Nearly three in every 100 people in the UK are affected by fungal nail infections and the most common symptom is that the nail gets thickened and discolored.

When scientists studied fungi samples taken from the ear canal, heel, between the toe nails, back of the head, behind the ear, forearm, and from many areas on the body, they found that fungal richness varied greatly. The most concentration of fungi was at the heel that was home to nearly 80 types of fungi.

"The data from our study gives us a baseline about normal individuals that we never had before. The bottom line is your feet are teeming with fungal diversity, so wear your flip flops in locker rooms if you don't want to mix your foot fungi with someone else's fungi."

Knowledge about fungi and ways to control them with improved cleanliness and hygiene can help check the spread of diseases.

Source: Medindia