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Author: Rositsa Tashkova, Master of Molecular Biology and Microbiology

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Again, we are on the topic of biting insects, as in the warmer months everything is teeming with life - desirable and not so much. While enjoying the bird song and the sea breeze, someone else probably enjoys our delicious blood.

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Once the damage has been done and the bloodsucker has left the scene, you may be concerned about another thing - curiosity about who caused you the itchy rash and what measures are necessary to be taken.

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In this article, you will see how the traces of bites of the most common insects look, and you will learn some of their peculiarities.

Mosquito-Bite

Mosquito Bite

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There is no way, we will start with the most common bite - that of our old acquaintances mosquitoes. It is a little known fact that their proboscus is made up of several parts, including 6 "needles" and under the skin it becomes flexible to be directed to the nearest blood vessel and poke into it.

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Therefore, if you catch the thief at the moment of his criminal act and stretch the skin around his proboscus with your fingers, he will not be able to get it out and the mosquito will fill literally until it bursts - of course, the damage to your skin will then be greater than usual and the itching - stronger.

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Read how to protect yourself from bites with natural means and how to relieve itching in the article&nbsp;<a href="/p/kak_da_sie_otrviem_ot_nasiekomitie_krvopiitsi_i_srbiezha_s_prirodni_sriedstva" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">How to get rid of bloodsuckers and itching with natural means</a>.

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<figure><img class="tinyMCEImg" src="https://d20hztklr4qnvi.cloudfront.net/e9af1f94-ab8a-4420-87bf-739c737e79db_middle.jpg" border="0" alt="Mosquito bite. Credit: Johan, flickr" title="Mosquito bite. Credit: Johan, flickr">
<figcaption>Mosquito bite. Credit: Johan, flickr</figcaption>
</figure>

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Most worrying of all, mosquitoes are rightly called "the deadliest animal in the world", as the contagious diseases they carry kill more people a year than any other animal.

Tick-Bite

Tick Bite

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Unfortunately, most ticks in urban environments are carriers of Lyme disease, which can cause serious, sometimes deadly damage to our body.

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The bite of a tick infected with Lyme disease often manifests itself in a characteristic way with a rash resembling a target - a red spot around the site of the bite, surrounded by a red circle.

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It is extremely important to prevent tick bites with appropriate repellents and clothing with long sleeves and legs tucked into the wrists and ankles. As well as taking steps to protect pets that can bring ticks home.

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If we find a tick on ourselves, it is very important to remove it correctly - do not rotate, smear or burn the tick, but simply get it as close to the skin as possible with tweezers (possibly special for the purpose) and pull smoothly and straight up.

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If the tick is rotated or oiled with oil and other substances, it begins to vomit in the wound, which will inevitably lead to an infection, if it carries diseases!

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Bedbugs-Bites

Bedbugs Bites

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Bedbugs are one of the worst things that can happen to your home. They are extremely difficult to remove and often force entire families to simply leave the house. Unfortunately, they often carry in their luggage a bedbug that starts the agony from the beginning.

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Bedbugs bite at night while we sleep, causing rashes composed of several consecutive bites. In allergic people, these rashes become intolerable, swell and may merge. It is important to seek medical attention if the bite appears to be further contaminated and infected.

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The bites are on the exposed parts. After feeding, bedbugs retreat to their hiding places, and they are many, due to their small size.

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Fortunately, bedbugs are not known to carry diseases.

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A homemade trick found in the Balkans is to lay fresh bean leaves on the bed and around the supposed hiding places. There are small hooks on their surface on which bedbugs hang and can not continue to move towards their victim.

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Flea-Bites

Flea Bites

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Flea bites resemble fine pimples, 3-4 or more close to each other. Most often they are in the area of the feet and ankles, in the folds of knees and elbows, under the armpits, on the abdomen.

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When the rash is pressed with a finger - it becomes white. It may become infected if scratched.

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After feeding, fleas often leave small brown dots of blood on the sheets. They hide in cracks, where they can lay a huge number of eggs in a short time, and therefore it is necessary at the first suspicion of the presence of fleas at home, to take measures for its immediate removal.

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It is easier to catch with wet fingers, jump skillfully and their body is hard, which makes it impossible to kill them with the soft part of the fingers - it takes two hard surfaces for the purpose.

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Fleas are carriers of the plague, but these days cases are very rare. It is necessary that the flea first fed on infected wild rodents in order to carry the disease then on to the person.

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Lice-Bites

Lice Bites

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Lice bites are localized on the scalp, neck and even on the shoulders. They are small and itchy red dots.

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Lice live in the hair, but they also stay in bed linen, which makes it possible to easily transfer them from it to our hair when sleeping in someone else's or a public bed (train, hut).

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Itchy rash can easily be infected when scratching and lead to the need for the intervention of a doctor for its treatment.

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Lice are difficult to remove, and unfortunately resistance to preparations against them is observed, and their spread among children is still a fact.

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Lice have special claws, which they use to hold firmly for the human hair and fortunately at least they do not jump. Lice on man are a special species and can not live on animals. Different animals suffer from their own types of lice, specialized only for the particular host species.

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Spider-Bite

Spider Bite

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Fortunately, there are almost no biting spiders in Europe, especially if they are not provoked to do so. Spiders do not feed on human blood and bite only in self-defense.

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If the spider crawls on your skin this does not lead to the appearance of a rash, so do not trust a person who tells you that something has crawled on you, and therefore you have a rash - the reason is certainly different.

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The sensation of a spider bite most often resembles a wasp sting and is very painful. It leads to redness and edema, which can persist for very long time.

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The bite of the European black widow (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus) feels like a prick, and after 1-2 minutes a blue-red spot and a pale halo appear at the site. Very soon dizziness, nausea and fatigue appear, and the bitten person needs immediate medical attention and antidote. The black venomous spider is found in two varieties - all black or black with characteristic red spots on the back.

Horse-Flies-Bites

Horse Flies Bites

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Unfortunately, the bites of horse flies are not torture only for horses. Their oral apparatus is suitable for piercing the thick skin of animals, and the bite is extremely painful. It is not surprising that the bite leads to blood flowing from the skin, pain, edema, irritation.

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In order to avoid the bite of horse flies, and some other insects, it is good to wear clothes in light colors, not to use perfume and other sweet smells that attract them. If possible, when walking in nature, it is good to use repellent to repel bloodsuckers. Of course, each repellent has effect only on certain types of insects.

There are 14,480 new cases of cervical cancer expected in the states in 2021, according to the American Cancer Society (1). Any woman can be affected by this disease. Fortunately, there are methods that can prevent the appearance of cervical cancer. One such method is the vaccine against human papilloma virus (HPV). 

How can the HPV vaccine protect us from cervical cancer?

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Over 50% of the population is infected with the gastric bacterium Helicobacter pylori. Although in many cases it remains asymptomatic, it often leads to diseases such as gastritis, ulcers and even stomach cancer. Conventional treatment is not always effective due to the growing resistance of the bacterium to existing antibiotics. This requires looking for alternatives and concomitant therapies and here we will look at what science says about 5 natural remedies in the fight against Helicobacter pylori.

Natural Treatments for Helicobacter pylori

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Marijuana is a plant with various effects on human health. Nowadays, its use for personal or medical purpose is becoming more prevalent. What is the story, are there enough studies to justify the positive and negative effects of marijuana use on health and what are these effects? The answers to these questions can be found in this article.

Marijuana – a peek into the history, the science of its active substances and their effects on health

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Silymarin has been used as a healing agent since ancient times. How its healing properties are manifested in the organism and what they are, you can find out in this article.

Silymarin - a well-known ancient herb - for the benefits in humans and animals

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There are various medical methods for the treatment and therapy of cancer, such as chemotherapy, interventional oncology, radiation therapy, surgery, hematological oncology, and others. One of the most promising methods is aimed at destroying tumor cells and preventing their metastasis.

A light at the end of the tunnel - cancerous tumors and their "Achilles heel"

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What are the most famous natural sweeteners, what they are and from which plants are extracted. The answers to these questions can be found in the following article.

Sweetness From Nature Or How To Replace Sugar With Natural Sweeteners

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In this article, you will learn what health benefits spirulina consumption brings according to science, as well as tips for growing it at home.

5 Reasons Why Spirulina Truly Is A Superfood And How To Grow It Home

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In this article you will find useful information about the healing properties of the broadleaf plantain according to the Iranian traditional medicine and modern science.

The Broadleaf Plantain: A Modest Plant with Great Healing Potential

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Insect Bites Are Dangerous - How To Recognize What Bit You

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 Insect Bites Are Dangerous - How To Recognize What Bit You

Rositsa Tashkova-Kacharova

The record for the world's most venomous snake is once again held by an Australian species - the inland or western taipan&nbsp;(Oxyuranus microlepidotus) - its venom is specialized in killing mammals as they are the snake's prey. It is estimated that one bite is enough to kill at least 100 people.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Australia is the homeland of the 10 most venomous snakes in the world.

But snake venom contains a huge variety of molecules, which have a pharmacological effect, and its toxicity is associated with only a small number of them.

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Many of the toxins can be used for medical purposes due to their specific interaction with the body. And in this case the dose makes the poison. Of course, we are far from thinking that the bite of a venomous snake is a healthy practice.

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As early as the beginning of the 17th century, the anticoagulant action of snake venom was known. And today, drugs based on it are produced. These are Captopril, Aggrastat and Eptifibatide.

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In nature, there are many venomous organisms, besides snakes - scorpions, spiders, insects, amphibians and cone snails, the poisons of which can find application in biotechnology and pharmacy.

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Snake Venom In Antiquity And Folk Medicine

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The snake was considered a god of medicine in the ancient Greek world and it is still used these days as a symbol of medicine and pharmacy.

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In Ayurveda, cobra venom is used to treat joint pain, inflammation and arthritis. It has also been used for centuries in China to treat opium addiction and by Indians, who combine it with opium for pain relief.

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Other bodily fluids from snakes, such as blood and bile, are also widely used in traditional Chinese medicine. [<a href="https://www.bioseek.eu/en/eng/research/pubmed/Snake_venom_components_and_their_applications_in_biomedicine_17103111" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ref.1</a>]

What's-In-Snake-Venom

What's In Snake Venom

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According to some studies , more than 100 different substances are found in snake venom, with about 95% of the dry matter of the venom <a href="/p/kakva_ie_razlikata_miezhdu_bieltk_i_protiein_b1b6b96e_e340_46d2_9768_ac9fa8cd6adc" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">consisting of proteins and peptides.</a>

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Some are enzymes,&nbsp;and other components in snake venom are nucleosides, metal cations, carbohydrates and very low levels of free amino acids and lipids with less biological activity.

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Most snake poisons contain proteolytic enzymes. These enzymes accelerate the breakdown of proteins in tissues to amino acids.

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Another type of enzymes found in almost all snake poisons are hyaluronidases, which are considered "spreading factors" as they damage the tissue at the site of the bite. This facilitates the spread of other toxins.

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Sodium is the most common cation in snake venom, but its role is unknown. Zinc and calcium are required for the activation of specific enzymes.

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The composition of snake venom differs between species, subspecies or even in the same species of snakes. These differences are related to many factors, including geographical distribution, age, gender and what the snake feeds on.

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Influence Of Snake Venom On The Body

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Biologically active substances in snake venom have several main effects:

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<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Neurotoxicity (leads to neuromuscular paralysis),</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Myotoxicity (toxicity to muscle cells),</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Cytotoxicity (kills cells, can be used in the treatment of cancer),</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Hemotoxicity - toxicity to the blood: clotting or blockage of blood clotting, hemorrhages or hemolysis, that is, degradation of red blood cells;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Antimicrobial activity - against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, viruses such as HIV virus, hepatitis C virus, yellow fever, dengue and measles, some microscopic fungi and parasites causing malaria, leishmaniasis and American tripanosome.</li>
</ul>

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Medicines-That-Contain-Snake-Venom

Medicines That Contain Snake Venom

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There are at least 8 drugs containing snake venom components. Most of them are used in practice, while others are still at the clinical trial stage. Here are these drugs [<a href="https://www.bioseek.eu/en/eng/research/pubmed/Snake_Venoms_in_Drug_Discovery_Valuable_Therapeutic_Tools_for_Life_Saving_31557973" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ref.2</a>]:

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<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Captopril - from the highly venomous jararaca or yarara&nbsp;(Bothrops jararaca), used against high blood pressure (hypertension);</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Aggrastat, Tirofiban - from the Indian saw-scaled viper&nbsp;(Echis carinatus), for heart attack;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Integrilin, Eptifibatide - from the Barbour's pygmy rattlesnake (Sistrurus miliarius barbouri), in acute coronary syndrome;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Defibrase/Reptilase, Batroxobin - from the common lancehead&nbsp;(Bothrops atrox and Bothrops moojeni), in stroke, pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis and myocardial infarction;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Hemocoagulase - from the common lancehead&nbsp;(Bothrops atrox), used in plastic and abdominal surgery, as well as in vitrectomy (a type of eye surgery);</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Exanta, Ximelagatran - from cobra, in thromboembolic complications and atrial fibrillation;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Alfimeprase - at the stage of a clinical study, from the eastern copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix), in acute peripheral arterial occlusion, also known as peripheral vascular disease;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Viprinex, Ancrod - at the stage of a clinical study, by the Malayan pit viper (Agkistrodon rhodostoma, syn. calloselasma rhodostoma), in acute ischemic stroke.</li>
</ul>

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Snake-Venom-As-A-Remedy-For-Cancer

Snake Venom As A Remedy For Cancer

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The anti-cancer properties of snake venom were first studied in the 1930s, but without much success. In 1936, cobra venom was used on cancer patients for pain relief. About 30% of patients experienced significant pain relief, 38% reported a satisfactory analgesic effect, and only about 13% had no definite results. [<a href="https://www.bioseek.eu/en/eng/research/pubmed/Snake_Venoms_in_Cancer_Therapy_Past_Present_and_Future_30158426" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ref.3</a>]

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Some substances in snake venom have two main qualities, due to which it could be used in the treatment of cancer:

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<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Inhibits angiogenesis, that is, the creation of new blood vessels, so necessary to feed the growing tumor and its spread to the surrounding tissues;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">It causes apoptosis - programmed cell death.</li>
</ul>

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Substances that are isolated from the poison of various types of snakes and possess the ability to suppress angiogenesis are proteins and are called disintegratins.

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Substances that cause apoptosis are also proteins, which include both disintegrines and L-amino acid oxidase (types of enzymes).

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Currently, scientists are working on how to direct the action of these substances from snake venom only to cancer cells, without affecting others and how the substances reach the cells in question to destroy them.

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The potential of snake venom is evidence of the richness of nature and folk medicine as a source of new discoveries applicable in modern medicine, including the treatment of some of the most insidious diseases - oncological.

<a href="https://www.bioseek.eu/en/eng/research/pubmed/Snake_venom_components_and_their_applications_in_biomedicine_17103111" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Snake venom components and their applications in biomedicine</a>, 2006, Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences

<a href="https://www.bioseek.eu/en/eng/research/pubmed/Snake_Venoms_in_Drug_Discovery_Valuable_Therapeutic_Tools_for_Life_Saving_31557973" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Snake Venoms in Drug Discovery: Valuable Therapeutic Tools for Life Saving</a>, 2019, Toxins

<a href="https://www.bioseek.eu/en/eng/research/pubmed/Snake_Venoms_in_Cancer_Therapy_Past_Present_and_Future_30158426" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Snake Venoms in Cancer Therapy: Past, Present and Future</a>, 2018, Toxins

The Healing Properties Of Snake Venom - From Ancient Times To Modern Cancer Treatment

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 The Healing Properties Of Snake Venom - From Ancient Times To Modern

About 50% of all reasons for visiting a doctor with a nail problem are due to fungus or onychomycosis. It's appearance can be a sign of lowered immune system functions, poor hygiene or inappropriate shoes.

What-To-Know-About-Nail-Fungus

What To Know About Nail Fungus

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The fungus that attacks the nail is called dermatophyte and initially enter through microscopic injuries and cracks on it, then spread its mycelium inside the nail and feed on the keratin from which the nails are built.

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In appearance, the nail changes color and turns yellow, then begins to break or peal, and at an advanced stage its appearance is so altered that it begins to resemble that of animal horns and hooves.

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Sometimes detachment of the nail due to uncomfortable shoes can be mistaken for fungi and incorrect treatment can be prescribed. Therefore, it is best to take a sample of the nail in a doctor's office, which can be examined for the presence of fungi under a microscope.

Diseases conditions and symptoms