Evaluation of a new fluorescent reagent, fluorescent brightener 85, for the diagnosis of suspected onychomycosis compared with potassium hydroxide

SummaryOnychomycosis is a common fungal infection in dermatology clinics. The commonly used diagnostic method, potassium hydroxide (KOH) direct microscopy, does not have a high‐positive detection rate. Therefore, a new diagnostic method is needed to confirm onychomycosis. The objective of this research was to use fluorescent brightener 85 (FB85), a new fluorescent reagent for fungi detection, and to evaluate this new method based on the diagnostic positive rate, accuracy and efficiency in suspected onychomycosis compared with theKOHmethod. Subungual debris was collected from clinically suspected onychomycosis cases and divided into two parts. The parts were examined byFB85 and 10%KOHsolution, respectively. In total, 108 patients with suspected onychomycosis were recruited. The positive rates ofFB85 andKOHwere 88.9% and 55.6%, respectively. The patients showed significant statistical differences (P < .001). Compared with theKOHmethod, theFB85 fluorescent method was an accurate and efficient method with a higher positive rate. This method could increase the diagnostic accuracy and efficiency of onychomycosis detection.