A man has ended up in hospital with a severe fungal infection in his lungs caused by sniffing his socks.

The unnamed man from China would take a whiff every day at the end of work.

As he was changing into more comfortable clothing, he would take off his smelly socks and inhale the odour.

A Chinese man caught an infection from sniffing his socks (Picture: AsiaWire)

As a result he caught an infection from a fungus that had developed in his footwear from his sweaty feet and spread to his lungs when he breathed in the spores.


The man was admitted as an emergency case to the hospital in the city of Zhangzhou where an x-ray confirmed him suffering from a severe lung infection and he has been kept in for treatment.

Toothbrush removed from man's stomach after he swallowed it while brushing

They confirmed it was caused by his frequent sniffing of his own socks.



People with a foot fetish have been known about for many years although fascination with socks is less well known.

But earlier this year a 21-year-old girl in America revealed that she had attracted a Sock Daddy who was prepared to pay large sums for her sweaty socks.

Got a story for Metro.co.uk? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page.