Isolation and Identification of Fungi Associated With Artificial Finger Nails Worn by Students of Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma, Nigeria

The use of artificial fingernails has become popular and more fashionable in the past. These nails are frequently worn by ladies, health care workers and food handlers, therefore this study was aimed at isolating and characterizating of fungi associated with artificial finger nails. 10 samples of 10 volounteers were collected and transported to microbiology laboratory in Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma for analysis. The samples were analyzed using a standard microbiological procedures. The fungal spore count on Potato dextrose agar ranged from 1.6 x105 to 2.3 x105 sfu/mL. Out of the ten (10) samples that were analyzed, only four (4) fungi species were isolated, which includes; Mucor species (20%), Asperigillus species (30%), Rhizopus species (10%) and Penicillium species (40%). Penicillium species dominates the fungal community isolated from the fingernaails with 40%, followed by Aspergillus species with 30% with Mucor species that contain 20% and the least fungal genus isolated from the stock is Rhizopus species, which constituted 10% of the fungal community. The presence of these fungi on artificial nails can be attributed to poor hygiene practices, as well as the use of lowquality materials in the production of the artificial nails. Fungal infections associated with artificial nails can be prevented by adopting proper nail hygiene practices, such as washing hands regularly, avoiding sharing nail care equipment, and using high-quality artificial nails