About the Nail Fungus Panel

Nail fungus begins as a white or yellow spot under the tip of the fingernail or toenail. As the infection continues, it may cause nail discoloration, thickening and crumbling. While mild infections can be treated with over the counter medications, more serious cases can become increasingly painful and require more serious treatment. Symptoms include thickened nails, whitish to yellow-brown discoloration, brittle, crumbly or ragged nails, distorted nail shape, dark discoloration and foul odor. Although it can affect fingernails, nail fungus is more common in toenails.

How serious is Nail Fungus?

Factors that can increase risk of developing nail fungus include the normal aging process, heavy sweating, walking barefoot in damp communal areas, minor skin or nail injury, psoriasis, diabetes, circulation problems or a weakened immune system.

How is the test done?

A nail clipping is packaged and shipped in a prepaid overnight UPS envelope to Excelsior, where it is then processed with PCR molecular technology with results the same day it is received.

How is that better than the standard legacy method?

Next day results of the culture allows health care providers to treat infections more quickly and accurately than any other currently available test. Additionally, only a small nail clipping is required to identify 26 fungal targets.

26 FUNGAL TARGETS
Acremonium strictum / Alternaria / Aspergillus fumigatus / Aspergillus niger / Aspergillus terreus / Aspergillus versicolor / Curvularia lunata / Epidermophyton floccosum / Fusarium solani / Geotrichum candidum / Neofusicoccum mangiferae / Sarcoptes scabiei / Scopulariopsis brevicaulis / Scytalidinum dimidiatum / Candida spp. / Microsporum audouinii / Microsporum canis / Microsporum gypseum / Microsporum nanum / Trichophyton interdigitale / (T. mentagrophytes) / Trichophyton rubrum / Trichophyton soudanense / Trichophyton tonsurans / Trichophyton violaceum / Trichosporon beigelii / Trichosporon mucoides / Zygosaccharomyces spp. (genus level)
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The Excelsior Guarantee

Excelsior Diagnostics is a specialty medical diagnostic lab that performs all testing exclusively by Polymerase Chain Reaction Molecular Analysis, the most accurate diagnostic medical testing available today.