odors from microbes
bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites inhabit every human body and just about every other living and inanimate thing
they normally either work in harmony with our own processes or lie dormant in wait for optimal conditions to multiply
if imbalance occurs in the body the harmony is disrupted, microbe overgrowth can occur and dormant microbes can become active and start to multiply
microbe byproducts can include many odorous compounds and, like food and supplements, if there are more compounds than the body can process then malodor can occur
odor perception is subjective and depends on genetics and sensitivity of the nose
the table below includes some microbes and their commonly perceived odor descriptions
microbe | odor description |
---|---|
acinetobacter baumannii | dirty gym socks or a gym locker |
acinetobacter guillouiae | fish |
actinomycetes | rich, musty, earthy, dirt after rain |
alkaligenes faecalis | freshly cut apples |
brevibacteria | sulfuric, old cheese |
candida/yeast | yeasty, like baking bread or beer |
citrobacterÿspecies | dirty sneakers |
clostridium difficile | putrid, fecal, horse shit |
corynebacterium species | fruity, cumin |
cyanobacteria / cyanophyta | potting soil, dirt |
eikenella corrodens | bleach |
escherichia coli | floral/flowery, fecal |
fusobacterium | rancid butter, fetid |
gardnerella | fishy, ammonia |
gram-negative anaerobes | bad breath, morning breath |
haemophilus influenzae | flowery |
haemophilusÿspecies | wet fur, mousy |
malassezia | grassy, fruity |
moraxella catarrhalis | pungent, semen-like |
nocardia species | rich, musty, earthy, dirt after rain, musty basement |
paenibacillus odorifer | bread |
pasterurella multocida | pungent (indole) |
peptostreptococcus anaerobius | fecal |
pigmented Bacterioides group | acrid |
propionibacteria | vinegar |
proteus mirabilis | fishy, rotten cooked fish |
proteus species | rancid, rotten chicken broth, chocolate cake, brownie, burnt chocolate |
pseudomallei | ammonia |
pseudomonas aeruginosa | grape juice, sweet, fruity, corn chips |
psychrobacillus psychrotolerans | band aid |
staphylococcus lugdenensis | sweet, hay-like, earthy |
staphylococcusÿspecies | dirty sneakers, strong cheese |
streptococcus milleri | caramel, browned butter |
streptococcusÿspecies | butter, butterscotch, sweet, cake-like, caramel |
streptomyces species | rich, musty, earthy, dirt after rain, musty basement |
know any others? get in touch |
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