Curing toenail fungus with prescription and natural remedies | Is a Toenail Fungus Infection Contagious?

Short answer, yes, a toenail fungus infection is contagious and can easily be passed to others. If you have a toenail fungus infection, it is certainly possible that you contracted it from somebody else. My own experience with a toenail fungus infection resulted from 1) damage to the toenail and 2) sharing climbing shoes with one of my rock climbing partners. 

That does not mean, however, that you can only contract a toenail fungus infection from somebody else. There are plenty circumstances and environments that can lead to your contracting an infection of the toenail without requiring a friend or family member to contribute the problem. However, since we’re talking about contagion, we’ll focus on that in this post. 

Like athlete’s foot, another dermatophyte fungus, the fungus that infects toenails can be spread from many sources infected by somebody else. Gym shower stalls, socks, previously used towels and shoes are all potential staging areas that allow one infected individual to pass the infection to another.

If you are suffering from a toenail fungus infection, it is important to ensure you don’t pass it on to anybody else. Equally important is that you don’t sabotage your efforts to remedy your own infection. There are several things to avoid.

If you have a toenail fungus infection or athlete’s foot, or suspect your friend does, do not share shoes or socks. Likewise, do not share towels and be sure to wash your towel after every shower or bath. Basically, if it touched the infected toe, it needs to be washed.

Do not walk barefoot in public gyms or showers. This is one of the more common methods of contracting a toenail fungus or athletes foot. Instead, wear shower shoes or flip-flops. In your own home, clean your tub and tile floor compulsively until you or your roommate/partner eliminate any fungal infection.

Remember that a toenail fungus infection isn’t a sign that you are unhygienic. These infections are particularly persistent and passing infections is simply a matter of exposure, not a lack of cleanliness. Ridding yourself, your family or roommates of an infection will be easier if you adopt a fanatical cleaning routine of all surfaces which may come in contact with the infected foot or toe. Though only part of the remedy, a strict cleaning regime will go a long way to avoiding a recurring fungal infection and will help you guard against spreading the problem to others.