Bacterial carriage by artificial versus natural nails

Although health care workers are following fashion trends when they wear artificial nails, the implications of these nails for infection control is unknown. Cultures were obtained before and after handwashing from the fingertips of 56 nurses with artificial nails and 56 nurses with natural nails. After handwashing there were higher numbers of colony-forming units of gram-negative rods cultured from the fingertips of nurses with artificial nails than from nurses with natural nails. There were no significant differences in carriage of gram-positive cocci or normal flora. Because of the number of nosocomial infections caused by gram-negative rods, health care workers who wear artificial nails should consider the potential risk of increased carriage of gram-negative rods.