Chinese Man Hospitalised After Developing Fungal Lung Infection from Sniffing His Dirty Socks Daily

A middle-aged office worker from China was recently admitted to Southwest Hospital after his lung got infected, as reported by Sinar Harian.

Jack (pseudonym) ended up in the hospital after doctors found he had a fungal lung infection, believed to have been caused by his habit of sniffing his own dirty socks.

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He was sniffing his socks daily

After doing a CT scan and MRI, doctors spotted something unusual in the lower part of his right lung. A bronchoscopy later confirmed he had a fungal infection caused by Aspergillus.

When asked what could’ve caused it, Jack admitted that he had a habit of sniffing his dirty socks daily after work before throwing them into the washing machine.

Dr. Liang Peiqiang from the hospital’s respiratory department checked the socks and found traces of Aspergillus, confirming that his not-so-clean habit was behind the infection.

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Fungal infections in the nose and lungs can have long-term effects

Worn socks typically contain sweat, salt, and urea, while the warm, moist environment inside shoes makes them a perfect breeding ground for fungi.

Used socks carry dirt that can lead to fungal infections. Sniffing dirty socks, even your own, increases the risk of inhaling harmful fungi and bacteria.

If those bacteria make it past the nose and throat into the lungs, they can cause fungal infections that may have long-term effects.

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