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Onychomycosis is a common progressive fungal infection of the nail bed, matrix, or plate leading to destruction and deformity of the toenails and fingernails. The prevalence of onychomycosis is increasing in the United States, particularly in the growing population of Latino patients. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of efinaconazole solution 10% in Latino patients with onychomycosis. Once-daily application of efinaconazole solution 10% may be an effective topical option for treatment of onychomycosis in this patient population.

Although there are limited data available on gender as an outcome variable in the treatment of onychomycosis, differences in disease prevalence and impact in males versus females have been observed. This article provides a gender subgroup analysis based on results from recent studies evaluating the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of efinaconazole topical solution 10% in the treatment of onychomycosis. Data were collected from two 52-week, prospective, multicenter, randomized, double-blind studies of patients 
(age range, 18-70 years) randomized to receive either efinaconazole topical solution 10% or vehicle for treatment of onychomycosis. Results from this analysis indicated that once-daily application of efinaconazole topical solution 10% may provide a useful topical option for treatment of mild to moderate toenail onychomycosis, especially in female patients.

Toenail onychomycosis is a common disease with limited treatment options, as treatment failures and relapses frequently are encountered. Many patients experience long-term disease that affects multiple toenails and causes substantial discomfort and pain. Although many patients prefer topical therapies, treatment efficacy with ciclopirox and amorolfine lacquers has been disappointing. Efinaconazole solution 10% is a new triazole antifungal agent specifically developed for the treatment of onychomycosis. Efinaconazole has shown a broad spectrum of antifungal activity in vitro and is more potent than ciclopirox against common onychomycosis pathogens. It has lower keratin binding and quicker drug release from keratin than ciclopirox and amorolfine and exhibits remarkably greater in vivo activity. Efinaconazole has limited or no potential for drug interactions and a low resistance potential. Efinaconazole provides a viable alternative to oral therapy for the treatment of toenail onychomycosis.

Typically, the amount of mycotic nail involvement in onychomycosis (fungal infection of the nail) before and after drug therapy is determined visually. Because there is an inherent element of subjectivity, it is difficult to accurately measure and compare results across clinical trials or to assess how much improvement has been achieved in response to therapy. We developed a simple tool for measuring mycotic nail involvement. This novel tool consists of a large grid containing 5 toenail templates of varying nail morphologies that are derived from the actual shape of the toenail of the great toe in several males and females, and one standardized computer-generated nail shape. The toenail templates are presented in 7 different sizes to match different nail sizes. Each toenail template is further divided into 8 segments, each comprising approximately 12.5% of the total nail surface. Measurement of the percentage of mycotic nail involvement is accomplished by the following procedure: (1) placing tracing film over the target toenail; (2) tracing the outline of the entire toenail, followed by tracing the affected portion of the toenail on the same film; (3) placing the tracing film over a nail template on the grid that best fits the shape of the toenail; and (4) counting the number of grid segments that correspond to 50% or more involvement. To assess feasibility, the tool was used in a large randomized trial involving over 30 sites and 500 subjects with onychomycosis. This tool is a more accurate and less biased alternative to visual assessment for measuring nail involvement or progression of nail clearing.

Chemotherapeutic agents are known to cause a myriad of cutaneous side effects that the dermatologist is often called upon to identify and treat. The taxoid drug paclitaxel is commonly used in oncology. To date, there have been few adverse dermatologic effects reported secondary to paclitaxel use. This is in contrast to the related drug docetaxel. We report a case in which paclitaxel caused onycholysis and nail loss in a patient being treated for lung cancer. To our knowledge, this finding has not previously been reported in the American dermatologic literature, though it has been reported in association with docetaxel use. It is important for clinicians to recognize that onycholysis can be associated with paclitaxel. Prompt recognition may prevent the unnecessary use of antibiotics or antifungal medications. Discontinuation of paclitaxel chemotherapy generally is not required, and regrowth of nails can be expected following completion of therapy.

Many nail dystrophies resemble onychomycosis--the most common nail condition--and confuse the clinician. When diagnosing nail infections, clinicians should be aware of these other conditions, pay attention to morphology, and take nail clippings for potassium hydroxide microscopic examination and culture.

A case of fingernail infection by Fusarium is presented. This nondermatophytic mold is an infrequent cause of onychomycosis, more typically involving the great toenail. Characteristic histologic features including the presence of hyphae and chlamydoconia are helpful in rapid diagnosis and selection of appropriate antifungal therapy. Although Fusarium has shown resistance to most antifungal medications in vitro, intermittent therapy with fluconazole led to improvement in this patient.

Clinical differentiation of dermatophyte infection from dystrophic changes due to psoriasis may be challenging. Typically, potassium hydroxide (KOH) preparations, fungal culture, and occasionally, nail unit biopsy specimens are utilized to help differentiate between the two. These tests are often time-consuming and may yield false-negative results. Increasing regulation of the office laboratory has caused some physicians to forgo this testing, which was previously routine. We investigated the utility of routine histologic examination of nail clippings in differentiating onychomycosis from psoriatic onychodystrophy. Twenty-three distal nail clipping specimens (twelve specimens from patients with onychodystrophy of unknown cause and eleven control specimens from nails with known cause) were evaluated by routine histology and periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining. Of the dystrophic cases, four were demonstrated to be onychomycosis by the presence of hyphae on histologic evaluation and by culture, whereas only three of these cases yielded positive results on KOH examination. Eight cases of onychodystrophy were due to psoriasis. Yeast forms were detected on one case of psoriatic onychodystrophy that demonstrated yeast growth on culture. In our study, routine histologic examination with PAS staining was equal to culture and superior to KOH preparation in leading to the correct diagnosis of dermatophyte infection. In addition, the diagnosis of psoriasis of the nail plate was detected accurately by routine histologic examination. Routine histologic examination with PAS staining is a rapid, simple, and reliable test in the evaluation of onychodystrophy.

Four unrelated cases of onychomycosis of the fingernails and toenails are presented. Three patients were given an initial prescription of itraconazole 100 mg, two capsules daily. One patient was given a lower dosage of 100 mg, one capsule daily. The vast majority of nails affected by onychomycosis responded quickly and effectively to treatment with itraconazole. None of the four patients experienced adverse hepatic reactions to itraconazole, and there was no relapse associated with any of the improved nails.

A patient with T. rubrum WSO is reported. The presence of this pathogen, a rare cause of this condition, can be confirmed by examination of smears and cultures taken from scrapings of the white spots on the nail plate.