What Is a Belly Button Infection?
8. Which Pathogens Are Responsible for Belly Button Infections?
Of the thousands of types of bacteria living in human belly buttons, only a handful are known to cause harm. These troublemakers are of the genera staphylococci, corynebacteria, actinobacteria, clostridiales, and bacilli. The most dangerous species is the methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, also known as MRSA, because it is resistant to most antibiotics.
The belly button also makes an ideal climate for fungi to grow. Dark, moist, and full of dead skin cells and other debris, tiny spores can easily land, grow, and reproduce. Candida albicans is a type of yeast that lives in the mouth and vagina and is responsible for thrush and vaginal yeast infections, respectively. The overgrowth of this yeast in the belly button is known as a candidal intertrigo infection.
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