* MalasseziaYeast: my Personal Battle *: Malassezia Yeast Fungus: Is it Contagious?

( Jan 2012 )

Malassezia Yeast ... Is it Contagious?

How, When and Why

I Believe Malassezia can be Both

Contagious and ... Not Contagious!

.............. . /. .............

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Having two Dear Girls and Three adorable Grandchildren

answering the question:

‘IS MALASSEZIA YEAST CONTAGIOUS’

was a matter of great Urgency and Paramount Importance to me

* * *

Unfortunately, much like many other questions regarding Malassezia,

the answer is still vague and inconclusive, due to the fact that

‘Field’ Opinions are Divided...

Some of those in the field -which field? Lol!- believe that Malassezia is highly contagious

while some believe that since it is Everywhere and Constitutes a Natural Part

of the Body Flora and present on 98% of people, it therefore Cannot Be Contagious.

The latter is obviously the way the medical field is handling it ... otherwise we would all

be locked in isolation just at the mention of it or even... attempted ...to be treated, Lol!

And... who are these 2% not having Malassezia... Aliens from outer space?... lol!

So, due to lack of certainty coming from the "Field" i was once more forced

to find the answer through my own, assumptions, deductions, and verifications,

based on personal history, observations, results, and growing understanding.

Clarifying "Contagiousness" as:

"The ability for Malassezia to be Passed On from Person to Person"

i.e ‘TRANSFERABILITY’

my Own Belief, paradoxically!... is in agreement with Both sides of the "Field"

During my two years of close observations, i have come to notice that there are

4-5 detectable but more likely 6-7 Malassezia stages of development

Out of Four of them, One only felt on the skin but visible only with Digital Microscope.

The other three, when Malassezia samples / units??? are 'caught'

are both visible under the Biological Microscope, as well as to the Naked eye.

Based on my own observations, i consider:

Stage 1:

As the stage of Spore which i have seen under the Biological Microscope

but not sure if or how i feel it in the body -only suspect it as "sand movement"

when it commences mobilisation, usually from scalp to other parts of the body

Stage 2:

I have seen under the Digital Microscope and it looks Liquid,

highly Responsive, to Light and Temperature and fairly Mobile!...

It was observed on our hands and all of our fingers in varying concentration.

Stage 3:

Maturity, nearing solidification, still mobile and ready to settle in pre-sprayed

with Grayish sticky layer skin surface which it has prepared for this purpose,

and where it eventually solidifies into white shards, developing hyphae

and changing into reddish black blobs after having drawn blood

as shown in the photo entries.

Stage 4:

As above "solidified white shards / reddish black blobs" releasing the corrosive

substance that eats the flesh and allows it to dig in, to reach blood and initiate

-my assumption- incubation which results in the creation of 3-4 weeks of burning,

itchy lesions, inside where intermittent activity takes place, several times

during the day or night.

Stage 5:

Already inside the lesion, firmly planted and practically irremovable without cutting out

the entire flesh, turns into a thick pusy substance progressing into dry cheesy consistency

surrounded by blood and becoming one with the damaged skin.

Stage 6 : could be spores as seen under Biological Microscope

or other that i have not yet identified.

WHEN IS IT TRANSFERABLE AND WHY

What I Believe:

For each Stage of Development, it all Depends on

* The Way it is passed on from person to person

* The Conditions if favourable or rendering to intended transfer

i.e Malassezia finds better temperature etc, or whether accidentally dislodged

and then on where it lands and if there is favourable environment to grow, etc.

I prefer to call it as CHANCE OF TRANSFER – ‘COT’– rather than Contagiousness
as the two are entirely different and each depending on different conditions.

Stage 1: COT Most likely as Spores are reputed to be airborne

-not i have personally verified- and spread throughout the body

as well as emerging from the Anal/Intestinal canal – this i have verified
several times a day and night.

Stage 2: COT Very High (If close contact and favourable conditions)

It is Liquid, Highly Responsive to Light and Temperature and Fairly Mobile!

If a Person and a Loved one are walking and are holding hands...

and if the other person's hand provides:

* Warmth: better blood supply

* Free of chemicals: washing powders, house cleaners etc.

* Richer / Better environment for Malassezia to settle, survive and proliferate

(hard to know what the list of Malassezia’s preferences and criteria is)

why would a smart mobile Fungus not choose to slide nicely over

to a more inviting and promising environment?

(This of course is applying human logic... )

So, I believe Stage 2, while Malassezia is fairly mobile, there is High COT

especially during close, intimate, prolonged contacts of all different kinds

-no need to elaborate what i mean....

Stage 3: COT Not Likely (unless very close, prolonged contact and favourable conditions)

At this stage it seems to get frantic and persistent trying to settle in one area,

so my guess is since it appears to be still mobile, if the other environment is more inviting

it may choose to transfer but i believe it would depend on how close to its solidification

process and approaching immobility, it is, and if it too close, it is more likely to settle

where it is. I have tried to move it with lethal weapons during that stage in order to avoid

the eventual lesion, only to suffer the consequences of a very messy result.

Stage 4: COT Most Unlikely (unless very close, prolonged contact and favourable conditions)

As "solidified white shards / reddish black blobs?" if it has not managed to stick itself

adequately on the surface of the skin, it can fall -much like dandruff!- either on clothing,

furniture, carpets, shoes, etc. and then if accidentally or if more suitable environment

can re-attach, as it is still alive and perhaps already developing hyphae and ready

to start digging into flesh to draw blood etc.

I consider at Stage 4, COT is possible only either by personal or item contact.

Stage 5: COT Not Likely

Once it is inside a lesion only surgical removal appears possible

but leaves open and unseen the stage between stage 4 and 5 ...

as to what comes out of the lesions, considering there is intermittent activity

within the lesions that takes place several times during each day or night for 3-4 weeks.

And now the Question: IS IT CONTAGIOUS?...

Before the diagnosis of my Lung illness and the commencement of long term antibiotics

i had No Lesions, No Crawling Sensations, No Itchies, No Inflamed hair follicles

and absolutely No dandruff! or any problems with Dry skin - never using any face, hand

or body lotions of any kind... had oily complexion and was content with it never fought it.

Did i have Malassezia Yeast back then?... More than likely Yes!...

much like everybody else on earth -bar the aliens of the 2% that appear not to have it??

How do i know i had it?

a) Occasionally, i used to experience mild burning in the anal area

which often attributed to perhaps having consumed something with hidden acidic additives

not listed on packet/container etc and which lasted for a couple of hours or a day.

b) Also occasionally, after Sex, even though my Lover was always very gentle and clean,

i used to experience a slight burning sensation which only lasted for a few hours to a day

and which i attributed to the natural of the activity friction and mild inflammation

So, up until the Lung illness and the commencement of antibiotics

My Immune system was handling it Fine! - just the normal way

as it ought to be and never knowing or suspecting its existence

either inside or outside my body or... on Earth for that matter!

From the Commencement and During the Ten Year of antibiotic treatment

it gave me Hell! ... but neither I nor any Doctor was able to identify the problem,

them thinking aloud or in silence that i was neurotic and me thinking and protesting

initially aloud -to no avail- and then silently resigning into the belief

that it was the side effect - which was in a way - of the antibiotics....

During the Entire Ten Year period, Both my Girls, one of them still living with us

some of the time back then and the other which gave birth to our first grandchild,

were visiting regularly! ...

None ever displaying any signs or at least never detected or was told of

any problem similar to any i had at the time or currently.

As verified by not One but Two Microscopes, as well as various symptoms,

my husband had and still have it as well -often manifesting as a severe itchy redness

in his inner thigh and assumed as Jock Itch ...

(Most likely Malassezia was passed on back and forth between us during intimate contacts)

It was only after six months of finally having come off the antibiotics

that it started to run rampant in my totally run down and off balance body

and initially mistaken as head lice, and decided to, temporarily,

avoid contact with my girls, so i would not pass the problem -of 'head lice'- on to them.

Little did i know this was the beginning of a journey to hell and that from then on

i would not be able to bring myself to risk their safety, passing on a problem

that neither I nor my Doctors had any idea of what i was dealing with,

and decided from then onwards and to this day, to meet on open spaces

and keep a fair arm's length distance between us.

Eventually i was lucky to have Malassezia identified in one of the photos

by a gentleman with experience in the field and since then i have been able

to fight it better while still treating it -for the safety of others- as Transferable

and avoiding close contacts or item exchanges, while still seeking answers

and hopefully eventual cure.

The reason i have written this rather private story in length

is because i wanted to illustrate that:

a) There was a time my Body’s immune system was handling it in a Normal way!

b) When it started to take over i was still having close contacts and item exchanges
and no doubt there may have been many occasions

i /we may have unknowingly passed it on before been identified for what it was.

c)- To show that from

All the people i have had contact with for a long time prior to knowing

the nature of my problem, None so far as i know has developed any signs

such as lesions, itchiness, burning etc.

Even my husband experiences the symptoms in a much lighter almost uneventful way

-thank God for that!- and this now leads me to

d) Why I Belive it is Transferable But NOT Necessarily Contagious!...

Here i need to clarify better that:

* It is Transferrable as

"The ability for Malassezia to be Passed On from Person to Person" and

* It is Not Contagious, in that It Is Already Present In Everybody!... including Pets

*Passed on from Person to Person Does Not Necessarily make it Contagious
It is an almost Unavoidable Fact that IT IS Passed on from Person to Person
in many different ways and varying degrees.

Considering that:

1-) Malassezia –if Medical Literature is Correct– is part of the Natural Body Flora

2-) Most People are Hosts ( 95-98% ) even if not aware or exhibiting symptoms

3-) Many Partners Living together, having Close and Intimate Contact

yet - in many cases Only One is afflicted by malicious Malassezia symptoms

4-) Usually the difference being, Impaired Health and Compromised Immune System

It is the Individual's Life style and Immune System that makes the difference.

Therefore I personally consider it as:
‘Contagious’ If an immune-compromised person is exposed to Malassezia,

especially during intimate contacts, antibiotic treatments or other medications
that upset the balance and efficiency of the immune system

and

‘Non Contagious’ if an individual is Healthy with a Strong Immune system

that handles it...