Mycelium threads: what are they?
Mycelium is called mycelium. It, together with spores, is the main component of the fungus, which gives it the opportunity to grow and reproduce. When mycelium is detected, the presence of pathogenic microflora in a certain place on the human body, which has already grown into a mycelium, is diagnosed. Due to this feature, the structures of the fungus are no longer too sensitive to drug therapy, as happens at the very beginning of the development of the disease.
In most cases, fungal mycelium is present on the nail plates. It is much less common on other parts of the body.
Mycelium of various types of fungus, magnified under a microscope
Routes of infection and risk factors
A person can become infected with a fungal infection in different places. The most susceptible areas are areas on the skin or mucous membranes that have no protection due to their damage. When entering such zones, the mycelium begins to actively spread.
There are several ways of infection with fungal mycelium:
- Contact and household. Infection occurs when the mycelium comes into direct contact with the skin from an infected person;
- Food. The culprit of infection is the opportunistic Candida fungi, which, under favorable conditions, begin to actively reproduce;
- Air. The pathogens enter the respiratory tract, causing damage to the lungs;
- Sexual. Infection occurs during intimate intimacy with an infected partner.
Experts identify certain causes and factors that increase the likelihood of infection with fungal mycelium:
- Frequent visits to public places (saunas, swimming pools, baths);
- Using for personal purposes someone else’s manicure accessories that have not been sterilized;
- Wearing someone else's shoes or clothes, as well as using a towel that is not your own;
- Shaking hands with an infected person.
People who have a weakened immune system due to acute or chronic diseases are at risk. They deprive the human body of natural defenses that control the number of pathogenic microflora.
Mycelium is easily transferred through contaminated instruments during manicure and pedicure
Mycosis and candida spores: what is it, photo?
The division of fungi into the group of unicellular and molds is conditional. Under certain circumstances, for example, increased CO₂ content in tissues, yeast and other types of single-celled representatives form mycelium.
Mycelium is a plexus of tubular fibers. They branch and intertwine, forming a web-like structure. The vegetative part of the mycelium grows inside the affected tissue, the spore-forming part is located on its surface. In the second, spores are formed in large numbers, microscopic bodies only a few microns in size.
Each body is capable of forming fresh mycelium in a new area of the body and infecting another person. The spores are covered with a protective shell, so they can withstand unfavorable conditions. They remain viable for months in dead and exfoliated skin cells, hair, and fur of sick animals.
What diseases does it cause?
The fungus, which is produced by mycelium threads, can affect different parts of the body. There are several types of diseases that can be caused by infection with this pathogen. It can cause the following pathological conditions in humans:
- In case of damage to the mucous membranes - candidiasis, aspergillosis, cryptococcosis;
- When the superficial and deep layers of the skin are affected - pityriasis versicolor, pityriasis nigra, seborrheic dermatitis, black piedra, microscopy, trichophytosis, epidermophytosis;
- If the mucous membrane of the tongue is affected - candidiasis, actinomycosis;
- If the nail plates are affected - nail trichophytosis, rubromycosis.
Each of these diseases has its own symptoms. Discomfortable sensations, which are the main signs of the disease, help identify the mycelium, or rather the localization of the fungal mycelium. If you suspect an infection, you should immediately consult a doctor. It will help you determine the type of fungus on your skin or nails and choose an effective treatment for it.
Classification of fungal infection
Mycoses are a large group of skin diseases. It can be caused by a huge number of different pathogens, which determine the course of the disease and the method of treatment. Based on the type of pathogen, this disease can be divided into:
trichophytosis - lesions of the skin, nail plates and mucous membranes;- candidal infections - affect the mucous membranes;
- cryptococcosis - affects internal organs and lungs;
- aspergillosis - reduce immunity and cause an infectious process in the lungs.
Based on localization, fungal infections can be divided into two separate categories:
- superficial – infection occurs without the infection spreading through the internal organs;
- systemic – the internal organs are primarily affected.
It should be noted that fungal mycelium always develops against a background of weakened immunity. It is when the body is weakened that pathogenic spores begin to multiply and cause serious damage. It is very important to monitor your body to prevent serious damage.
Symptoms of infection
Symptoms that are characteristic of a disease such as nail or skin fungus help to recognize health problems. Doctors identify the following signs of the spread of mycelium threads:
- Itching, which may intensify towards night;
- Redness of the affected area;
- Deformation and thickening of the nail plates;
- Impaired hair growth or excessive hair loss;
- The appearance of a cheesy coating on the skin;
- Peeling of the epidermis.
All these signs indicate fungal mycelium on the skin or nails. If they are detected, it is strongly recommended to immediately seek medical help. You should also limit your contacts with people and not let them use your personal belongings. This will reduce the likelihood of an epidemic starting.
If a fungal infection is ignored for a long time, its symptoms become more pronounced. They are complemented by other signs of malaise. Often people with mycelium complain of a cough, indicating the spread of infection in the lungs. Patients also notice the occurrence of obvious symptoms of such pathological conditions:
- Heart rhythm disturbances;
- Fever;
- Kidney failure.
If mycelium affects the nail layer or skin, it is necessary to undergo diagnostics. To do this, you will need to examine a sample of a piece of epidermis or toenails.
How to treat the disease
The method of therapeutic intervention and duration of treatment depend on the diagnosed disease, the general health of the patient and the stage of the pathological process.
Complex therapy includes the prescription of local agents, if necessary, systemic drugs, treatment of the disease that contributed to the development of mycosis.
Medications
For external use, use ointments, gels, drops, sprays based on:
- naftifina - "Exoderil";
- natamycin - “Pimafutin”;
- clotrimazole – “Canizon”, “Clotrimazole”, “Candide”;
- ketacosanal - “Sebozol”, “Nizoral”, “Mycozoral”;
- bifonazole - “Bifoxin”, “Microspor”.
They are recommended for therapy at the initial stages of the pathological process . If local therapy is ineffective, dermatologists prescribe oral antifungal drugs. These include: Fluconazole, Terbinafine, Griseofulvin, Miconazole, Intraconazole and others.
Physiotherapy
Physical treatments have no effect on the fungus. They are used to improve blood circulation in the treatment of onychomycosis of toenails as adjuncts.
This is UHF exposure to the cervical, lumbosacral region, diathermy to the lumbosacral region, irradiation of blood using a laser beam.
Folk remedies
Traditional medicine methods cannot replace drug therapy. They deserve attention as supporting activities.
Daily baths with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or wine vinegar, ointments made from a mixture of butter and crushed garlic, and the use of tar soap have proven themselves to be effective.
Surgery
When it is not possible to save the nail, the nail plate is surgically removed under local anesthesia.
An alternative to surgery is the use of keratolytic patches and hardware cleaning. The patch gradually softens the horny plate, and the laser beam removes the area infected with spores.
Diagnostics
To determine the type of mycelium, laboratory tests will be needed
Diagnosis of suspected infection with fungal mycelium is limited to standard measures. They allow you to correctly determine the type of pathogen and determine its sensitivity to drugs.
Detection of mycelium is carried out in the following ways:
- Microscopic examination of skin scrapings. This procedure easily reveals yeast, that is, the presence of yeast fungus. It is usually found in a smear taken from an infected mucous membrane;
- Culture method. This study requires inoculating biomaterial taken from the patient onto nutrient media. This is carried out to obtain active mycelial growth and identify the type of pathogen.
After all the required diagnostic measures have been carried out, and the doctor has become familiar with the test results, he will be able to give the patient the correct diagnosis.
Mechanism of transmission of nail fungus
Infection with pathogenic fungal spores can occur through any contact with an infected object. The mycelia of the fungus, getting on the nails, begin to conduct active occupying activities, trying to settle in a new place as soon as possible.
Infection can occur even with a normal handshake if basic hygiene is not observed. Although the danger of disease also arises when a person works for a long period in a humid environment. To minimize the risk of acquiring long and difficult treatment, it is necessary to follow sanitary recommendations.
Treatment
It is up to a competent specialist to decide how to treat fungal mycelium, with whom you need to make an appointment at the first suspicion of infection. If this pathogen is detected, it is necessary to undergo a course of drug therapy. This is a mandatory measure that will help get rid of fungus on the skin, mucous membranes or nails.
Treatment of mycelium threads is usually carried out with topical medications. You may also need to take pills to fight the infection from the inside. For such problems, doctors prescribe:
- "Nystatin";
- "Fluconazole";
- "Ketoconazole";
- "Clotrimazole";
- "Triderm";
- "Miconazole".
The choice of medicines should be trusted to a specialist. For therapy to be more successful, it must be carried out in accordance with certain rules. Before applying medicinal compositions, you need to thoroughly wash the problem area. In this case, treatment of the fungus is more effective, since nothing prevents the active substances of the ointments from penetrating into the deep layers of the epidermis.
If the patient uses topical medicinal products according to the instructions, clear improvements will become noticeable after about 2 weeks. If no changes are visible, then the treatment regimen will have to be adjusted or completely replaced with a more effective one. All these questions must be discussed with a dermatologist.
Conservative therapy does not always achieve the desired result. In this case, more radical methods come to the aid of patients with fungal mycelium. Laser treatment of the affected areas helps to cope with the disease. To achieve optimal results, it is advisable to undergo 3-10 sessions of this procedure.
A good helper for this disease is therapy that uses wave radiation. This is a fairly effective method of combating fungal mycelium. However, such treatment is required for 2-3 months.
The methods listed above are used in medical practice only in rare cases.
Drug treatment can be supplemented with laser
How is nail fungus treated?
Among other fungal diseases, the most difficult to treat is onychomycosis or nail fungus. To choose the right treatment, the doctor takes into account the patient’s age, existing diseases, and the degree of damage to the nails. Mycologists have a large selection of broad-spectrum fungicidal agents that can accumulate in the nail bed and the plastic itself. Preference is given to those dosage forms that are most effective and convenient to use. Nail fungus is treated with local, systemic and combination drugs.
Local treatment promotes the accumulation of a high concentration of the active substance on the affected nail plate. External antimycotics do not penetrate into the nail bed so effectively as to combat the viable fungi present there. Local preparations include varnishes Batrafen and Lotseril, creams Nizoral, Mycospor, Lamisil, Travogen, Mifungar, Pimafucin, Ecozax, Exoderil. Sprays Lamisil and Daktarin are no less popular. The listed remedies are prescribed not only for the treatment of nail fungus, but also for fungus on the foot, between the toes against the background of onychomycosis.
Among the combination drugs containing actimicotics in combination with an anti-inflammatory agent are Travocort, Pimafucort, Triderm, Lorinden S, etc. In parallel, local antiseptic substances are used - aniline dyes, iodine.
Systemic drugs act against a wide range of pathogens. Often mycosis of the feet is caused by a mixed fungal infection. Therefore, doctors prescribe anti-fungal drugs that can destroy mycelium at the cellular level and suppress the synthesis of its components. Effective systemic drugs are Orungal and Sporonox (based on itraconazole), Diflucan and Forkan (based on fluconazole), Lamisil (terbinafine).
How to protect yourself
If a person wants to protect himself from infection with fungal mycelium, he should adhere to certain rules in everyday life. To prevent mycosis infection, it is recommended:
- Get a personal towel, washcloth and other accessories necessary to maintain personal hygiene;
- Air your shoes every day. Don't forget to change your socks regularly;
- When visiting the swimming pool, baths, saunas and other similar places, wear slippers on your feet;
- Use special foot powders. This rule is relevant for people who suffer from excessive sweating in the feet;
- Choose underwear and clothing exclusively from natural materials. It is not advisable to wear something that is too tight to the body.
To avoid illness, you need to take care of your own nutrition. It must be healthy and complete. It is necessary to include in your diet yoghurts with live bacteria, garlic and foods that contain vitamin B. As for sugar, milk, tea and coffee, it is best to start limiting yourself in this.
