Features	Acute	Chronic
Clinical appearance	Red, hot, tender nail folds, with or without abscess	Swollen, tender, red (not as red as acute), boggy nail fold; fluctuance rare
People at high risk	People who bite nails, suck fingers, experience nail trauma (manicures)	People repeatedly exposed to water or irritants (e.g., bartenders, housekeepers, dishwashers)
Pathogens	Staphylococcal aureus, streptococci, Pseudomonas, anaerobes	Candida albicans (95 percent), atypical mycobacteria, gram-negative rods
Treatment	Warm soaks, oral antibiotics (clindamycin [Cleocin] or amoxicillin–clavulanate potassium [Augmentin]); spontaneous drainage, if possible; surgical incision and drainage	Avoidance of water and irritating substances; use of topical steroids and antifungal agents; surgery as last resort