The fungus affects all parts of the body. It can be found in and on the body together with different bacteria. It is when the fungus grows and spreads that you experience an infection. Fungal infection on the nails is called onychomycosis or tinea unguium. This infection affects both fingernails and toenails. Fungus grows over time, so it’s better to seek remedies when you notice something unusual on your nails before it gets worse.
7What are the signs and symptoms?
The fungus may infect part, the entire nail, or many nails. The most common signs of a nail fungus infection are brittle, crumbly, or thickened nail; odor that comes from the infected nail; a distorted or misshapen nail that lifts off the nail bed.
Other infections may have the same signs as those of a nail fungus infection, so for confirmation, a doctor often scrapes the debris under the nail and looks at it under the microscope or sends it to a lab for a fungal culture.
