Is nail fungus contagious?

Yes, nail fungus can be contagious. If it is not taken care of properly, it could spread to other fingers. The fungus could also spread to another person if an implement or nail file is used on a nail with a fungus and then used on that person.  more

While the fungus must be obtained from someplace, it is not highly contagious. Nail fungus is so common that finding more than one person in a household who has it is hardly more than a coincidence. It can be transmitted from person to person, but only with constant intimate contact. How is nail fungus treated? Oral antifungal therapy works about 50%-75% of the time. It can take nine to 12 months to see if it has worked or not, because that is how long it takes for the nail to grow out. Even when therapy works, the fungus may come back about 20%-50% of the time. Creams and other topical medications are usually not effective against nail fungus. This is because nails are too hard for external applications to penetrate. However, a new medicated nail lacquer ciclopirox (Penlac) topical solution 8% has been approved to treat finger or toenail fungus that does not involve the white portion of the nail (lunula) in people with normal immune systems. It only works about 7% of the time. Oral ...  more

While the nail fungus must be obtained from someplace, it is not highly contagious. Nail fungus is so common that finding more than one person in a household who has it is hardly more than a coincidence but it can be transmitted from person to person in the following scenarios. - Using contaminated nail care tools (nail clippers, files, tweezers, etc). - Nail fungus thrives in warm, moist areas so a person should use caution in public areas such as spas, locker-rooms and shower floors where there are warm puddles of water where the athlete’s foot and nail fungi can live. These are likely places for someone to pick up the spores. - Sharing socks or shoes from an infected person.  more