1. Nonobservance of personal hygiene rules

Fungus is transmitted by direct contact with the carrier of the disease or (the most common way of getting the infection) through touching objects contaminated with skin scales, particles of nails or hair with fungus.

2. Anatomical peculiarities of the patient

Anatomical peculiarities include flat-footedness, narrow spaces between toes, any pathology associated with irregular form of toes independently of the reasons which caused them.

3. Physiological peculiarities

Physiological peculiarities may include metabolic imbalance; endocrine and sexual system disorder; disorders of the gastrointestinal tract; hypovitaminosis, helminthiasis (diseases associated with presence of parasites in the gastrointestinal tract) or disturbance of blood supply to legs that has been developing during long time. Unlike the previous group, the treatment of the pathologies listed in this group does not necessarily require surgical interference; it means that in most cases the patient can withstand the disease by himself.

4.Using medicines

Some medicines may reduce immunodefence of the body and disturb skin barrier function. It is mostly caused by hormonal therapy with glucocorticoids or steroids or by radiation therapy.  Some other medicines (e.g. antibiotics) may themselves carry the fungus into body (very often it is yeast fungus causing thrush).    That is why antibiotics should be used with caution. It is recommended to take them in combination with antifungal medicines such as Nystatin or Levorin, though they treat yeast fungi only.

5. Sex, hereditary predisposition.

Some medical articles claim that sensitiveness to some species of fungi may depend on the sex. For example, fungus affecting feet is more characteristic of women who more often than men wear tight shoes. It is pay-off for following the fashion.  However, there are mycoses which affect men mostly; tight shoes are not a necessary condition for these causative organisms.  A number of researchers assert that some persons are genetically predisposed to fungal contamination. This point of view confirms the fact that some fungal infections are found in blood kins from generation to generation; meanwhile this species of dermatophyte is rarely transmitted from person to person who are not kins but are in close physical contact with each other (e.g. spouses).