What Are Microorganisms?

Microorganisms (Latin micro = small) are living beings so small (< 40 µm or 0.04 mm) that they are not visible by the naked eye. Microorganisms related to human health include certain bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites.

Synonyms: microbes, germs, bugs.

Types of Microorganisms

Microorganisms can be, according to their characteristics, divided into several groups:

• bacteria, viruses, certain fungi and parasites
• pathogenic (capable of causing disease), non-pathogenic, and opportunistic (causing disease when they have an opportunity, like in people with low immune system)
• acellular (without cell, like viruses), unicellular (bacteria, yeasts and certain parasites), or multi-cellular (molds)

continue reading Microorganisms – Types, Harmful Effects on Human Body, Pictures

What Are Fungi?

Fungi are a group of living organisms, consisting from unicellular yeasts, and multicellular molds and mushrooms.

A word fungus, plural fungi, is adopted from Latin fungus (mushroom), from Greek sphongos (sponge), and refers to a physical appearance of fungi. Mycology (from Greek mykes = fungus) is a branch of biology dealing with fungi.

Beneficial and Harmful Fungi

Some fungi are beneficial: they decompose dead organisms, they can be used in production of food, they are part of normal human flora. Other fungi are pathogenic, meaning they may cause diseases (mycoses) in plants, animals and human. Certain fungi, like Candida albicans, can be beneficial when present in small amounts in body tissues, but can overgrow in certain circumstances, like low immunity and become harmful (opportunistic fungi).

continue reading Kingdom Fungi – Types, Characteristics, Examples and Pictures of Fungi

What Is Infection?

An infection is an invasion and multiplying of pathogenic microbes in the body tissues in which they are not usually present (1). Pathogenic means capable of causing disease. Infection does not always cause a disease.

Definitions of Infection-Related Terms

A colonization is the usual presence of non-pathogenic and even potentially pathogenic microbes on the skin, in the nose, mouth, bowel, penile or vaginal mucosa, as a part of normal human flora, in the amount not harmful for the body – this is not an infection. An example is the presence of Lactobacilus acidophilus bacteria in the colon.

A contamination is the presence of germs which do not multiply, for example, in a contaminated (not infected)wound. Infected or septic wound contains multiplying microbes. Contamination also refers to presence of pathogenic microbes on medical equipment, in the water, food etc.

continue reading Infection – Definition, Causes, Transmission, Symptoms, Signs

What Is Sepsis?

Sepsis (Greek sepsis= putrefaction, decay) is an exaggerated response of body’s immune system to an infection, like severe pneumonia or cellulitis, which has spread to the blood; it is also called blood infection. If treatment does not start promptly, sepsis may be deadly.

NOTE: Bacteremia, viremia, fungemia or parasitemia refer only to a presence of microbes in the blood, which by themselves rarely causes any symptoms, while sepsis is always a serious condition with detectable inflammation in the blood and obvious symptoms. Check what septic means.

continue reading Blood Infection or Sepsis – Causes, Symptoms, Signs, Treatment

Septicemia Is Not Clearly Defined

A term septicemia may cause a lot of confusion; for some it refers to bacteremia (presence of bacteria in the bloodstream) and for others it refers to sepsis (bacteremia + blood inflammation). Since a term septicemia is still widely used, a reader should be aware of its two possible meanings in different health articles.

Blood Poisoning Is Not An Appropriate Term

To ad to the confusion, a term blood poisoning is often used as a synonym for septicemia (or sepsis). Poisoning can be caused by substances other than those released by microbes, while sepsis is always caused by microbes, so a term blood infection is preferable as an informal name for sepsis.

Bacteremia – Definition

Bacteremia (from bacteria + Latin suffix -emia = blood related) is the presence of the bacteria in the bloodstream (1).

Bacteremia is not the same as septicemia (sepsis), which is bacteremia accompanied with an inflammation in the blood.

Both Gram-positive bacteria, like staphylococci or streptococci, or Gram-negative bacteria, like Bacteroides, may be involved in bacteremia.

continue reading What Is Bacteremia – Causes and Symptoms

Appendectomy, or appendicectomy, is the surgical removal of the appendix, which is a small, long sac attached to the first part of the large intestine. Appendicitis is the inflammation of the appendix and untreated acute appendicitis may lead to rupture of the appendix.

continue reading Surgical Appendix Removal – Appendectomy, Appendicectomy

Normal and Poor Immune System

The immune system comprises from immune cells, like white blood cells, antibodies and other substances that fight against microbes and thus defend us against infections.

We may suspect that our immune system is low (poor, weak, deficient) when we suffer from frequent infections (like having influenza several times a year), when infections heal slowly (like common cold lasting a month), when they affect unusual sites (like Candida albicans yeast appearing in the mouth) or infections that usually do not affect people with normal immunity (like Pneumocystis carinii fungus is harmless for healthy people but can cause pneumonia in AIDS patients).

continue reading Low, Poor, Weak, Suppressed Immune System, Immune Deficiency

An armpit fungus is a ringworm infection which occurs on the skin of the axilla (armpit) causing itching, burning and darkening of the skin under the arms. Similar to fungal infections on other areas of the body, an armpit fungus can be persistent given the high moisture content (due to armpit sweat), low light (covered by clothing) and warmth (due to body heat).

What Causes an Armpit Fungus?

An armpit fungus is caused by skin fungi,  usually skin molds or dermatophytes, that consume the superficial layers of the skin. Medically, a skin mold is referred to as a tinea infection and a fungal infection of the armpit is known as tinea axillaris. However most armpit fungal infections may extend beyond just the area of the armpit to surrounding skin and it is common to refer to the infection as tinea corporis (fungal infection on the body) involving the axillae. A skin yeast or cutaneous candidiasis may also be responsible.

continue reading Armpit Fungus – Sweat, Irritation & Perfume Allergy

Bottom itch may arise from:

• Buttocks
• Buttock crease
• Groin and inner thighs
• Anus – anal mucosa and surrounding skin
• Rectum

continue reading Itchy Bottom