Fungi That Cause Smelly Feet
by Dr. Roseline Hamsley

We already understand that it is the reaction and the metabolism of sweat from bacteria and fungi that actually produce the foul smells from our feet. Many people talk about bacteria being the only cause of foot odor however many people fail to understand that fungi also causes foot odor and the interaction between the bacteria and the fungi also contributes to smelly feet.

Although the majority of factors contributing to smelly feet can be pin-pointed to bacteria, there are also types of fungus that create foul smells. The important point to note here is that fungus, especially at the feet, is much more dangerous than bacteria alone. This is because fungus can grow rapidly and in most cases create feet ailments more readily and more serious than just bacteria alone.

Most people would be quite familiar to the fungus normally called “tinea” however the official name is Epidermophyton and is related to all ailments ranging from ringworm to athelete’s foot. The on-set of ailments such as athelete’s foot aren’t normally associated with smelly feet however it is my belief that the onset of fungus is through bad hygiene practices and thus is actually related to smelly feet.

The most common fungus that will afflict the feet are tinea which will most likely cause “athelete’s foot”. Normally athelete’s foot occuring on the skin does not create any foul odors, rather it will cause a skin irritation, dryness and scaliness to the skin. If the skin is left untreated for extended amounts of time then it is possible that the infection could set in and foul odors generated from there, although that only happens in late stages infections and the sufferer would probably be worrying more about the pain rather than the smell.

 Fungi That Cause Smelly Feet: Part 2