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Athletes' Feet
08 August 2012

Athletes' Feet

Those warm, moist gaps between your toes and the cosy crevices within wrinkled folds of foot skin are paradise for the tinea pedis fungus – its effects more commonly known as athlete’s foot. Tinea pedis would like nothing more than to settle down to a feast of dead skin on the tired feet of an Olympic athlete. The fungal spores, pictured here in yellow using colour enhanced scanning electron microscopy, lie in wait in damp environments. If facilities are not carefully kept, the fungus could spread via sweaty socks and the soggy floors of changing rooms. Although now relatively easily treated and avoided, athlete’s foot could spell disaster in the pursuit of medals: when the fungus takes hold it can lead to itchy, stinging, skin or oozing and crusty blisters. Not ideal if you’re going for gold.

Written by Anthony Lewis

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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