What Is a Fungal Infection?

By amanda

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If you’ve ever had an itchy rash or a yellow-tinged toenail, you might have suffered from a fungal infection. There are many different types of these infections, and they range from surface levels — such as the rash and the toenail — to systemic, or body-wide. Some familiar examples may include yeast infections, forms of foot fungus, and thrush.

Symptoms, treatments, and severity of the various fungal infections also differ widely. This information explains these conditions, offers some tips for treating them, and provides advice concerning what you need to watch for in terms of reinfection and complications.

1. What Causes a Fungal Infection?

Fungi are simply part of the world. They are everywhere from the foods we eat, such as mushrooms, to the air we breathe, which contains mold spores. It’s common for the fungi around us and in our bodies to multiply to the point that we become sick. At this point, you can call the illness a fungal infection.

The most common types of fungal infections, like vaginal candidiasis and ringworm, are found in ordinary people as well as those who have weakened immune systems. Because the fungus is already present on the skin or in the body, the fungus has an opportunity to grow when the person’s immune system is weakened.