Greenish Pigmentation of Nail Plates From Bacillus Pyocyaneus Infection

Although secondary infections of the hands with Bacillus pyocyaneus are not uncommon,¹persistent greenish pigmentation of the nail plates has not been described previously. In the dermatologic ward of the Cincinnati General Hospital we have seen 2 patients with such pigmentation. B. pyocyaneus is present from time to time in patients in the ward, especially in association with chronic moist lesions of the skin. The spread of this secondary invader is usually associated with breaks in nursing technic. The first patient had an extensive second degree burn of the right upper extremity, neck and shoulder.