Fungal infections are common throughout much of the natural world. In humans, fungal infections occur when an invading fungus takes over an area of the body and is too much for the immune system to handle.
Fungi can live in the air, soil, water, and plants. There are also some fungi that live naturally in the human body.
Fungal infections are rarely serious unless the immune system is weakened, generally by drugs or medical disorders. Fungal infections generally progress slowly.
Like many microbes, there are helpful fungi and harmful fungi. When harmful fungi invade the body, they can be difficult to kill, as they can survive in the environment and re-infect the person trying to get better.
Antifungal drugs may be applied directly to the infected site or, if the infection is serious, taken by mouth or injected. Because fungal spores are often present in the air or in the soil, fungal infections usually begin in the lungs or on the skin.
In this article, we take a look at that is most at risk of getting a fungal infection and what the symptoms and treatment options are for some common types.
Symptoms
The symptoms of a fungal infection will depend on the type, but common symptoms include the following:
Read on to find out more about some common types of fungal infection, their symptoms, and the treatment options.
Types
Symptoms
The symptoms of athlete’s foot may vary slightly from person to person. Classic symptoms include:
Diagnosis, treatment, and prevention
Not all itchy feet are the result athlete’s foot. Doctors generally diagnose the infection by scraping scaling skin off of a person and inspecting it under a microscope for evidence of any fungus.
There are a few different fungi that can reason athlete’s foot. The infection may behave differently depending on the specific fungus that is infecting the skin.