General information Candida albicans, mode of transmission, symptoms and treatment.

1. Dr. T. Ramesh
Assistant Professor of Zoology
Vivekananda College,
Tiruvedakam
Candida albicans

2. INTRODUCTION
 Opportunistic fungal pathogen- Candidiasis
 Harmless commensals- very common at
Gastrointestinal & Genitourinary tract
 70-80% of the population
 Size- 10-12 microns
 Optimum temp. 33 and 38°C; Many sugars promote the
growth
 Also in skin and in mucous membranes such as the
vagina, mouth, or rectum
 It travel through the blood stream and affect the throat,
intestines, and heart valves
 Overgrowth of these organisms, however, will lead to
disease
 Common in Immuno compromised individuals- AIDS,
Infants, Transplant recipients & low birth weight.

4. Major forms
 Oropharyngeal candidiasis

5. Transmission
 Mother to infant through childbirth
 Overgrowth of C. albicans leads to symptoms of
disease- Imbalance Ex Normal Acidicty in Vegina
 Very rarely spread through sexual intercourse
 Typical normal human microflora- Not found in
animal vectors
 People-to-people acquired infections mostly happen
in hospital
 Immunocompromised patients acquire from
Healthcare people- 40 %

6. Infectious dose, incubation,
colonization
 No exact known infectious dose
 Imbalance occurs in a woman’s vagina
 Irritation of the vagina
 Decrease the amount of lactobacillus bacteria alter the
pH
Epidemiology
United States- 30-55 % Young adults has oropharyngeal colonization
Also 40-65% of normal fecal samples

7. Thank you