GREEN NAILS: The Role of Candida (Syringospora, Monilia) and Pseudomonas Aeruginosa

GREEN nails are not commonly encountered in the routine examination of onychomycoses. Usually they are a result of an infection with various species of Aspergillus. These nails have been described as light to dull green with a deepseated discoloration of the nail plate. Not all green nails, however, are due to aspergillosis. One of us (M. M.) has observed several nail infections in which the causative organism was Candida albicans (Syringospora, Monilia) and in which no other organism could be implicated either by direct examination of the infected material or by culture. The infected nails in these cases were light to dull green, with the lesion beginning at the outer margin of the nail and extending into the nail plate. The observation of an onychomycosis caused by both a yeastlike organism, Candida tropicalis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Bacillus pyocyaneus) throws more light on the etiology of green nails. B. G., a