Toenail & Skin Infections-Do we really know what’s going on in and under the skin and/or nails?
Most foot health practitioners understand the feet and toes including toenails reside in warm, moist dark environments in cooler provinces and countries thus fostering an attractive environment for various types of microorganisms to thrive and multiply.
Do we really know and understand the mechanisms of action and the various types of microorganisms our clients may be hosting in and on their skin and toenails?
Let’s deconstruct this and contemplate how this condition is typically managed through our mainstream public healthcare system. What role does private community healthcare clinics operated by Registered PodOrtho Foot Specialist play in delivering accessible, efficient, solution-oriented cost-effective medical foot and lower limb care in our communities across Ontario and Canada.
Preventing life altering conditions is a central component of care the Registered PodOrtho Foot Specialist delivers and is well educated and skilled to provide in community foot care clinics throughout Ontario and Canada.
So, what are Fungi and what is the difference between fungus, viruses, bacteria, parasites, mold and yeasts?
Summary of Bacteria, Viruses, Fungi, and Parasites
Viruses are the smallest infectious agents, while bacteria are 10-100 times larger. Both can cause diseases but differ in structure and how they replicate. Viruses require a host cell to reproduce, while bacteria can multiply independently. Parasites, like Giardia and Cryptosporidium, are larger and can cause illnesses in humans, especially in developing countries. Fungi, often found as spores or molds, can also cause diseases, primarily skin and nail infections and pneumonia, and pose a greater risk to those with weakened immune systems.
Viruses
Except for prions, viruses are the smallest infectious agents. Most viruses are exceedingly small (about 20 – 200 nanometers in diameter) and essentially round. They consist of little more than a small piece of genetic material surrounded by a thin protein coating. Some viruses are also surrounded by a thin, fatty envelope.
Viruses are different from all other infectious microorganisms because they are the only group of microorganisms that cannot replicate outside of a host cell. Viruses don’t consume food; they hijack host cells’ machinery for materials and energy, leading some scientists to view them as complex molecules rather than living organisms. Viruses are known to infect nearly every type of organism on Earth. Some viruses, called bacteriophages, even infect bacteria.
Bacteria
Bacteria are ten to 100 times larger than viruses. They are typically 1 to 3 microns in length and take the shape of a sphere or rod. Most bacteria consist of a ring of DNA surrounded by cellular machinery, all contained within a fatty membrane. They acquire energy from the same essential sources as humans, including sugars, proteins, and fats.
Some bacteria live and multiply in the environment while others are adapted to life within human or animal hosts. Some bacteria can double in number every fifteen minutes, while others take weeks or months to multiply. Bacteria cause many types of diseases, ranging from mild skin irritation to lethal pneumonia.
Parasites
Parasites are part of a large group of organisms called eukaryotes. Parasites are different from bacteria or viruses because their cells share many features with human cells including a defined nucleus.
Parasites are larger than bacteria, although some environmentally resistant forms are nearly as small. Some parasites only replicate within a host organism, but some can multiply freely in the environment. Parasites can be made of one cell, as in the case of Giardia, or many cells, as with parasitic worms in developing countries, unicellular parasites like Plasmodium, which causes malaria, are major sources of disease. Waterborne parasites, such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium are the most common causes of parasitic disease in the United States.
Fungi
Fungi are diverse in terms of their shape, size and a means of infecting humans. Fungi are eukaryotes, meaning that like parasites, their cells have a true nucleus and complex internal structures. They require a host commonly feeding off keratin which nails, and skin are comprised of. Keratin is produced in the germinal matrix below the nail bed, making fungal toenail conditions (onychomycosis) a challenge to cure.
Fungi is comprised of environmentally resistant spores and molds and may cause disease in humans in the form of yeasts. Fungal diseases are particularly dangerous to those that are immune compromised.
Treating the secondary infection in the toenails proved successful in this particular case study. We know wounds will not close if critically colonized. Once hygienic foot and wound care interventions were implemented along with a whole of patient care approach this wound healed. This establishes the essential need for professional foot and nail care that is a valued and effective treatment method that also prevents life altering health consequences.