Fungal spores and nail fungus

What is the connection between fungal spores and nail fungus? Fungi that are actively growing will eventually produce spores, tiny reproductive stages that break off the plant and spread to new places in air currents, in water, and on moving living things. Most people have seen mushroom spores: perhaps you’ve seen a dusty green powder inside the bag of a loaf of bread that has gone moldy, or noticed portobello mushrooms leave a black coating on your cutting board. These substances are actually a large number of spores (a single spore is microscopic, so you can’t see it; when they become visible, there are millions).

It is important to understand that most fungi produce spores of one finding or another: the spores of infectious fungi, that is, those that can cause infection in people, only come from a few species. Portobello mushroom spores and those of most other environmental species will not harm you (although it’s probably not a good idea to casually inhale the spores of any mushroom, for a number of reasons). A connection between fungal spores and nail fungus infection only exists when the spores come from one of the fungi that can grow on keratin, the common protein in nails, hair, and skin.

Infectious fungal spores are produced by fungi that grow on infected toenails and fingernails. They are dispersed in the environment when pieces of nails and skin break off, on nail clippers and instruments used to cut and file nails, on nail clippings, on shoes and socks, in water, and when the affected person walks barefoot. When you realize that a small colony of fungus can produce millions of spores, it’s easier to understand how infection can easily spread from nail to nail, on shared clothing and grooming instruments, and in public swimming areas. . An infection produces fungal spores and nail fungus spreads.

Most cases of fungal nail infection are caused by a few species of dermatophytes, fungi that are adapted to use keratin as a nutrient source. They spread from person to person and animal to person via fungal spores, and nail fungus infection isn’t the only problem they cause—infections of the skin and hair are often caused by the same species. Some environmental fungi—that is, species that normally live in nature and obtain nutrients from decaying organic matter—can also produce infective fungal spores that can grow on nails, but not on skin or hair. Fortunately, the species involved in any particular infection usually doesn’t matter when it comes to onychomycosis treatment.