• Question: could an alive human grow fungi, inside or outside their bodies? Apparently it happens in rainforests!

    Asked by wizzyg12 to Claire, Matt, Rob, Sam on 26 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Sam Geen

      Sam Geen answered on 26 Jun 2013:

      Yep! Atheletes foot is a fungus that grows on your feet, and can get very painful if you don’t get rid of it with an anti-fungal cream.

    • Photo: Matthew Pankhurst

      Matthew Pankhurst answered on 26 Jun 2013:

      Yes, although I doubt you could grow mushrooms our of your ears… Fungal infections inside and outside people are a common occurrence . The reason it happens more in rainforests is that it is warm and wet in rainforests, and that’s just where fungi love to grow. Also, when we are in rainforests we sweat a lot more, and potentially get a bit dirtier, which contains the fungal spores (a bit like seeds).

    • Photo: Claire Lee

      Claire Lee answered on 26 Jun 2013:

      Yep! A good reason to bath every day! (and wear flip flops in public showers and pools)

      It’s a different type of fungus than the type you’d find on a pizza, but it can happen.

      In fact, it’s one of the reasons you should take probiotics if you are on a course of antibiotics – the antibiotics can kill of some of your good bacteria, allowing a type of fungus to grow

Comments

  • Photo: Rob

    Rob commented on :

    You ever smelled that baking bread smell? That’s yeast, which is a type of fungus. Yeast grows almost anywhere, so it’s entirely possible to get yeast infections. Fungal infections really like damp, dark places so fungus can grow all over our skin and also inside certain parts of our body.

    Also, for the record, mushrooms are a type of fungus as well so not all fungi are gross or bad for us.

  • Photo: Sam

    Sam commented on :

    Claire, don’t ever order the athlete’s foot pizza.