The susceptibility of patients with psoriasis nail plates to fungal infection

The objective of the study was evaluation of the finger and toe nail fragments collected from psoriasis patients’ susceptibility to fungal infection. Toe and finger nail fragments (scrapings) collected from 34 psoriasis patients and 27 healthy volunteers were experimentally ex vivo infected with C. albicans and T. mentagrophytes strains. After incubation, the effectiveness of infection was evaluated in clarified microscopic preparations on the basis of the number of hyphe penetrating the nail fragments. The statistical analysis revealed that toenails but not fingernails of the psoriasis patients were significantly more susceptible to C. albicans infection. No significant difference was found between the susceptibility of both finger and toe nails to T. mentagrophytes infection between the psoriasis patients and the controls.