Thanks for joining me for this week on The Mold Show. And today we're going to be talking about foot fungus. We're also going to be talking about the microbes that colonize our shoes and socks. I also want to talk a little bit about the best practices for hygiene around the home. The reason I wanted to do this episode is that the media here in Australia has interviewed me over the last couple of weeks, both on radio and on TV about this topic. And I can only imagine that this is because the number of people worldwide who have treatable skin infections is in the order of one to 2 billion people. And superficial fungal infections, are extremely common and they've got a worldwide prevalence of between 20 to 25%. That means one in four people have potentially got a fungal foot infection at any point in time.

Now I stress these usually are not life-threatening, but it is a significant practical problem. Most of us have probably experienced athletes foot and the fungi that are responsible...

We may think that our beds and bedding are cozy and comfortable, but they may not be as clean as we think. More often than not, there are a lot of germs lurking in and around them. These microorganisms are often shed from our bodies and find their way into our bedrooms where they become entrapped into the porous sheets, duvet, pillow and even bedhead materials. And it’s not only a one-way transfer process.  Once contaminated, the water vapour our bodies naturally give off can also transfer and provide the water source for these bacterial, fungal and yeast cells to multiply.

Germs are not only found in our bedrooms and bed linen but elsewhere in our homes. They’re everywhere - in the air and on surfaces - and in every building including hospitals. When these germs are transmitted from surfaces to the body this is called fomite transmission. This hand to mouth disease transmission from surfaces onto the fingertips is highly efficient showing 33% efficiency for both...

A nail salon offers nail care services such as manicures, pedicures and nail enhancements. One-stop nail salons provide facial treatments, waxing and skin care in addition to nail services.

The global nail care market is projected to reach $11.6 billion by 2027. Even during the COVID-19 crisis, the global nail care market was estimated at $9.9 billion in 2020 but the importance of respiratory health in the nail care sector is rarely discussed.

Nail salon workers operate in a poorly ventilated and potentially hazardous work environment with negative health consequences.

Emerging research is shining a light on foot and nail dust and the presence of fungi in both fungal-infected as well as healthy-looking nails. This research shows that while the majority of healthy people can tolerate inhaled fungi, the immune systems of older, potentially immunocompromised and allergy-prone individuals often react to this foot and nail dust through the inflammatory TH2 pathway. This can lead to an...

Studies have shown that people are healthier, more comfortable and more productive in structures with good indoor air quality (IAQ). The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers defines acceptable indoor air quality as air in which there are no known contaminants at harmful concentrations as determined by cognizant authorities and with which a substantial majority (80%) of the people exposed do not express dissatisfaction. Happiness is directly related to a sense of purpose and a sense of contentment or wellness and self-awareness is related to longevity.

These indoor air contaminants could be particulates, vapours and gases generated by occupants and their activities. They can also come from building materials, furniture, equipment and appliances present in indoor space, operations and maintenance activities, or brought in from outside. Indoor pollutants include certain gases such as radon, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide; volatile organic...

Have you ever thought about what grows on your towels after a few days? Dampness left behind plus skin cells we shed naturally allow germs to grow and could cause them to smell. Bacteria and fungi are capable of surviving on fabrics for months. This can result in clothing and bed linen, as well as towels, becoming sources of infection for others.

Textile contamination and laundering have been extensively researched, especially with regard to the SARS-CoV-2 virus pandemic. Studies have shown that the SARS-CoV-2 virus can remain infectious between 5 minutes and 24 hours on cotton. It’s not difficult to see how this can be important in the current pandemic.

Looking at typical fungi, like Aspergillus, Fusarium, Mucor, and the yeast Candida, they can survive from 1 to 30 days on cotton, terry towelling, and even spandex. Studies have also shown that Staphylococcus aureus can survive on cotton for 3 weeks, faecal coliforms can survive for up to 4-months on cotton, and cotton fabrics...

Prevention, they say, is better than cure. And that forms the basis of preventive medicine, a proactive approach aimed at getting ahead of the potential causes of diseases by promoting healthy behaviours and screening for diseases with the aim to keep people from becoming sick in the first place rather than treating diseases when they eventually occur.

Disease and disability are affected by environmental factors, genetic predisposition, disease agents, and lifestyle choices and are dynamic processes that begin before individuals realize they are affected (source: Wikipedia).

Preventive medicine can be practiced by governmental agencies, primary care

physicians and the individual himself, according to E. A. Clarke, an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biometrics at the School of Hygiene, University of Toronto, Canada.

 “In the past, many diseases have been conquered by doing things for the individual. The present challenge of preventive medicine is...

Do you know that the most humid parts of the world are Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia; Jakarta, Indonesia; and Singapore, all in South and Southeast Asia as well as Darwin in Australia? Do you also know that, on average, people in Hong Kong stay indoors for over 80 percent of their day because of their humid climate?

This underscores the need to maintain an indoor living environment that is free of mould because of the huge challenges of living in a humid climate.

So, it's important to realize that the potential for mould is higher in humid climates. This is because the water vapour from the air can condense out onto surfaces and provide a water source for mould to grow.

In case you don’t know the meaning of mould, biologists define it as a fungus that grows in the form of multicellular filaments called hyphae that form a mycelium.  This is a network that might also give rise to a fruiting body, which is the familiar mushroom stage for some fungi. Fungi are everywhere, and a...

Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) is a very serious, often overlooked condition. About one in four people with the disease cannot work or participate in normal day-to-day activities. It is a disease that affects people of all ages or gender, but one funny thing about it is that it is often unrecognized and possibly remains undiagnosed in many cases.

MCAS is a group of diseases involving the immune system. When the triggers occur, antigens are raised inside the body, which might result in itchiness, for example. But this also leads to a histamine cascade, which causes contraction of the respiratory vessels. Then blood vessels dilate and result in gastric acid secretion.

Many people with MCAS can have very serious life-threatening reactions such as anaphylaxis. Typical symptoms include itching, headaches, brain fog, fatigue, heart palpitations, hives, shortness of breath, gastrointestinal problems, wheezing, low blood pressure, anxiety and, very typically, a flushing or a swelling,...

According to statistics, about 90 percent of our time is spent indoors. The number could be much higher in recent times due to COVID-19 which has caused many governments around the world to impose lockdowns and forced people, including children, to stay home in order to avoid contracting the virus and halt its spread.

But more worrisome is the fact that these kids are also exposed to other dangers – like the threat from airborne allergen exposure in their early lives.

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology defines an allergen as a usually harmless substance capable of triggering a response that starts in the immune system and results in an allergic reaction, like sneezing or itching. For instance, if you have an allergy to pollen, your immune system identifies pollen as an invader or allergen.  But the reaction event can turn serious and also be overlooked.

How then does the indoor living environment affect children? A recent study in environmental...

Allergens are all around us. It seems like a fairly straightforward concept, though how they find their way to us can be extremely surprising. Take for example, animal allergens. If you learned that your child had a dog allergy, what steps would you take to avoid issues for them?

The most common response to this would likely be some variation of not having a pet dog and limiting visits to places where dogs live. After all, kids spend most of their time at school or at home so you may think there is little risk of exposure in these controlled environments.

 This is, however, not the case. Studies have found that children will be exposed to dog and cat allergens just by attending school. During a 1998 study conducted in a Swedish school it was discovered that allergens were present on the clothes worn by all pet owning students. Despite preventative measures we may take against them, allergens still find a way to infiltrate places we believe are safe.

Allergens are definitely a...