RESUMEN
Onychomycosis is accounting for approximately 50% of all nail problems. It is caused mainly by dermatophytes and yeasts, notably C. albicans and less frequently by moulds. Specimens were taken from 188 cases clinically diagnosed as onychomycosis by subungual scrapings of the nail debris in addition to swabbing of the nail folds in case of chronic paronychia only. Their direct microscopy and culture showed that females were more affected than males. The most frequently isolated fungi were yeast, followed by dermatophytes and mould. Gram negative bacteria were the most frequent type isolated in chronic paronychia. Most of the patients did not follow any therapeutic regimen before and even those used some forms of topical treatment before did not achieve a complete cure