Published in:
01-09-2017 | Fungal Infections of Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue (A Bonifaz, Section Editor)
Onychomycosis Laboratory Diagnosis: Review
Published in: Current Fungal Infection Reports | Issue 3/2017
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Purpose of Review
Onychomycosis is a growing global health problem. Proper diagnosis is important in order to avoid the risks of unnecessary treatments. This review summarizes the laboratory techniques currently available for the diagnosis of onychomycosis with the advantages and disadvantages of each test.
Recent Findings
Research is underway to prove the clinical utility of other diagnostic techniques such as PAS-stained nail biopsies and molecular tests as viable alternatives for the diagnosis of onychomycosis with promissory results.
Summary
Dermoscopy can be helpful to differentiate onychomycosis from traumatic onycholysis or true melanonychia; however, a definitive diagnosis requires the demonstration of the presence of the fungi. The combination of direct microscopy using potassium hydroxide and fungal culture is the gold standard for the diagnosis of onychomycosis; however, other alternatives, such as calcofluor white under fluorescence, PAS-stained nail biopsies, and molecular techniques have proven to be excellent methods with their advantages and limitations.