Common Fungus Diseases

Introduction

Fungus diseases are quite a common affair. There are a total of 59 types of fungus diseases. Fungus is a type of germ that lives on humans. The germ is not harmful most of the times, but occasionally the germ causes a fungus infection. The infection needs proper treatment if it is to be cured. The good thing is that normally fungus diseases are easy to cure. This article will take a brief look at some of the most common types of fungus diseases and will give relevant information regarding them.

History

Fungus diseases have been present since a long time. The potency of these diseases has remained constant overtime. The main cause of spread of such diseases is unhygienic conditions. Due to the communization of cleaning products and increase in awareness regarding personal hygiene, fungus cases are prevented more often. In the past there was a lack of advance germ killing soaps and shampoos. The cure for fungus related diseases has also been improved to a vast extent. In the past, when there was a lack of scientific medication, people relied on herbal medication. In the cases herbal medicine did not work, it was common practice that they used to cut off the fungus affected area of the body such as foot or finger. This is a rarity nowadays. Only in certain extreme cases stuff like this is required otherwise medication is enough on its own.

Features

There are four broad categories of fungus diseases. Firstly there is superficial mycosis. It is caused by certain fungi that thrive exclusively on the skins surface. They might also be present on hair. Secondly there are cutaneous mycoses or dermatomycoses which cause infections like ringworm and athlete’s foot. In this type of fungus disease, infection only occurs in parts of skin that are superficial, like nails, hair or skin. Thirdly are the subcutaneous mycoses, they have the ability to penetrate the skin and cause infections in places such as bones and tissue. Lastly are the deep mycoses. This is the most dangerous kind. It can spread throughout the body and can affect all major organs. This fungus disease has can be potentially fatal. Now some specific but common fungus infections would be detailed. Tinea is one type of fungus disease which affects the hair. It starts off as a tiny red spot on the head but overtime it spreads in circular form. Athlete’s foot is another type which appears between toes, nails and on the sides of the foot. Jock itch can affect both men and women. The region around the groin and upper thigh is infected by this disease. Candida is another type which is actually a yeast. It develops around soft, moist areas of the bodies and looks like a rash.

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