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Candidiasis
Common Names: Yeast infection, thrush
Image Notes: Oral candidiasis on the tongue and soft palate.
Candidiasis, commonly called yeast infection or thrush, is a fungal infection of any of the Candida species, of which Candida albicans is the most common.
Manifestation
In immunocompetent people, candidiasis can usually only be found in exposed and moist parts of the body, such as:
- the oral cavity (oral thrush)
- the vagina and/or vulva (vaginal candidiasis or thrush)
- folds of skin in the diaper area (diaper rash)
- the nipples while breastfeeding
- the penis or foreskin in men
- the ear
Candidiasis is the second most common cause of vaginal irritation, or vaginitis, and can also occur on the male genitals. In immunocompromised patients, the Candida infection can involve the esophagus and can become systemic, causing a much more serious condition: fungemia.
Children, mostly between the ages of 3 and 9 years, can be affected by chronic mouth yeast infections, normally seen around the mouth as white patches. However, this is not a common condition.
Causes
Oral candidiasis on the tongue and soft palate.Candida yeasts are usually present in most people, but uncontrolled multiplication resulting in disease symptoms is kept in check by other naturally occurring microorganisms, e.g., bacteria co-existing with the yeasts in the same locations, and by the human immune system.
In a study of 1009 women in New Zealand, the fungus, Candida albicans, was isolated from the vaginas of 19% of apparently healthy women. Carriers experienced few or no symptoms. However, external use of irritants (such as some detergents or douches) or internal disturbances (hormonal or physiological) can perturb the normal flora, constituting lactic acid bacteria, such as lactobacilli, and an overgrowth of yeast can result in noticeable symptoms. Pregnancy, the use of oral contraceptives, engaging in vaginal sex immediately and without cleansing after anal sex, and using lubricants containing glycerine have been found to be causally related to yeast infections. Diabetes mellitus and the use of antibiotics are also linked to an increased incidence of yeast infections. Candidiasis can be sexually transmitted between partners. Diet has been found to be the cause in some animals. Hormone Replacement Therapy and infertility treatments may also be predisposing factors.
Symptoms
Symptoms include severe itching, burning, and soreness, irritation of the vagina and/or vulva, and a whitish or whitish-gray discharge, often with a curdlike appearance.
Many women mistake the symptoms of the more common bacterial vaginosis for a yeast infection. In a 2002 study published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, only 33 percent of women who were self treating for a yeast infection actually had a yeast infection. Instead they had either bacterial vaginosis or a mixed-type infection.
In men, symptoms include red patchy sores near the head of the penis or on the foreskin. The sores may feel irritated and itchy, and sometimes they will burn as well.
Text and images are licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. Material is used from the Wikipedia article "Candidiasis".
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