Athletes Foot Information and Treatment
Athletes foot is a term that is used to describe a condition in which fungal infection takes place on the foot. The fungus that can be held responsible for causing athletes foot is called dermatophytes. These fungi live on dead cells of the skin. Medical term for athlete's foot is Tines pedis. Basically, this infection appears between the toe fingers. It is a contagious skin infection. The fungus is very contagious and is transmitted by coming into contact with wet floors, or by touching infected shoes or socks. The skin on our feet is constantly being shed, little bits dropping off all the time. If the dead skin is infected with the athlete's foot fungus and someone else walks along the area where this dead skin is, it could stick to their feet and consequently infect the person with the fungus. Symptoms are burning sensation between toes, itching, redness, scaling, blistering.
Athlete's foot is a common skin problem caused by a fungus. Usually beginning on the skin between the toes, the fungus infection becomes scaly and itchy. The superficial mycotic infections are generally not serious and include such well-known disorders as Athlete's Foot or less commonly know Tinea Pedis , caused by the dermatophyte Trichophyton. Deep mycotic infections such as histoplasmosis and candidiasis are potentially life-threatening. Other parasites that attack humans range in size from unicellular organisms such as Entamoeba histolytica to such multicellular forms as tapeworms and roundworms. Most parasitic infestations are encountered in the less-developed areas of the world where sanitation is not optimal. Indeed, parasitic infestations constitute major causes of death in regions of Central and South America, Africa, India, and Asia.
|
