The human epidermis has an astonishing diversity of fungi. Experts from the US National Human Genome Research Institute and the National Cancer Institute have genetically studied these colonists of our skin and have concluded that the largest fungal variety is concentrated in the heels.
As stated in an article published in 2013 in the journal Nature , this part of the foot is home to eighty different genera of fungi ; among them, Aspergillus, Cryptococcus, Rhodotorula and Epicoccum .
Toenails follow, with sixty different types. In contrast, the biodiversity of these microorganisms is minimal in the head and back , where a single type of fungus of the genus Malassezia predominates. The hands, although they harbor a great diversity of bacteria, have very few fungi. And, on the back of the neck, ears and between the eyebrows, researchers have found only two to ten different genera.
Although the human body is a very rich breeding ground for these types of microorganisms , they are difficult to reproduce and study in the laboratory, which complicates the diagnosis and treatment of the fungal infections they cause.
