Types of Pathogens

There are three basic types of pathogens that can spread disease in a beauty establishment: viruses, bacteria, and fungi.

Viruses

Viruses are the simplest of the three, a virus is just genetic material that is encased in protein. A virus will need to enter a living thing in order to replicate, which is the only function it can perform. When a virus enters a human cell, it takes over the cell’s own replicating machinery to create more copies of itself.

Viruses will sometimes remain dormant for a long time, so you can be infected and will not get sick for a long time, often leading to not knowing when and how you got infected with the virus.

The most common viral infections cause the common cold and flu. These infections can be treated with medication and can sometimes be prevented by getting vaccinated. Other diseases caused by viral infection are measles, chickenpox, shingles, herpes, AIDS, hepatitis, rubella, and COVID-19.

The purpose of getting a vaccine is to prevent a virus from infecting us. A vaccine helps train the human body’s immune system to attack the specific virus it was design to stop.

It is important to know that antibiotics do not stop or prevent diseases caused by virus infections.

According to the Center for Disease Control, Antibiotic resistance due to over prescribing antibiotics s one of the most urgent threats to the public’s health. Antibiotic resistance happens when germs, like bacteria and fungi, develop the ability to defeat the drugs designed to kill them. That means the germs are not killed and continue to grow. More than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections occur in the United States each year, and more than 35,000 people die as a result.

**This image shows some of the viruses that can cause diseases in humans, these are some of the most common, but the list is not exhaustive and there are more viruses that can cause illnesses in humans.**

Bacteria

Bacteria are larger than viruses, but still very small. They are single cell organisms that are almost everywhere, and they can reproduce on their own.

There are beneficial and harmful bacteria.

Most bacteria are nor harmful, some of them live in our intestines and help with digestion, and they help with our immune system.

Some bacteria, however, are harmful to humans. These bacteria can cause foodborne illnesses and other types of bacterial infection through the proliferation of the bacteria. Other types of bacteria produce toxins that can make you ill, or that damage tissue.

Some bacterial infections include strep throat, pneumonia, tuberculosis, to name a few.

Modern medicine can treat most bacterial infections with antibiotics, however, according to the National Institute of Health, antimicrobial resistance is a global public health challenge, which has accelerated by the overuse of antibiotics worldwide. Increased antimicrobial resistance is the cause of severe infections, complications, longer hospital stays and increased mortality.

The Center for Disease Control promotes antibiotic stewardship, which is the effort to measure and improve how antibiotics are prescribed by clinicians and used by patients. Improving antibiotic prescribing and use is critical to effectively treat infections, protect patients from harms caused by unnecessary antibiotic use, and combat antibiotic resistance.

**Bacteria, like the ones shown above, can be seen with a simple microscope, as they are larger than viruses.**

Fungi are larger and more complex organisms. Many types of fungi are not only harmless, but edible. We eat mushrooms, a type of fungi, blue cheese and other types of cheese contain mold that give them a green veined look, mold is also a type of fungi. Most bread will not rise without adding yeast, another fungi, to the dough.

Fungi, on the other hand, can cause serious diseases, including candidiasis and meningitis.

Fungi are responsible for nail infections and ringworm, as well as some eye infections.

Areas of the body that can be affected by ringworm include:

Feet (tinea pedis, commonly called “athlete’s foot”)
Groin, inner thighs, or buttocks (tinea cruris, commonly called “jock itch”)
Scalp (tinea capitis)
Beard (tinea barbae)
Hands (tinea manuum)
Toenails or fingernails (tinea unguium, also called “onychomycosis”
Other parts of the body such as arms or legs (tinea corporis)

The Center for Disease Control states that Fungal nail infections are very common. They may affect up to 14% of the general population. Fungal toenail infections are more common than fungal fingernail infections.

Fungal toe nail infections are more common than finger infections. People who have fungal toenail infections often have a fungal skin infection on the foot, especially between the toes (commonly called athlete’s foot, ringworm on the foot, or tinea pedis)

Center for Disease Control recommendations to prevent fungal nail infections:

Keep your hands and feet clean and dry.
Keep fingernails and toenails short and clean.
Don’t walk barefoot in areas like locker rooms or public showers.
Don’t share nail clippers with other people.
When visiting a nail salon, choose a salon that is clean and licensed by your state’s cosmetology board. Make sure the salon sterilizes its instruments (nail clippers, scissors, etc.) after each use, or bring your own.

Fungal infections can be contagious and spread from one person to the next. Fungi reproduce by releasing spores, these spores can be inhaled, or the can be picked by direct contact. Spores can also land on your skin. The most common form of fungal infection is through the skin and nails.