Abstract
Abstract Background: Oral Candidiasis is one of the most common opportunistic infection in People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA). Oral thrush is a reflection of the declining immunity in HIV positive patients. Distribution of the Candida species causing oral candidiasis along with their antifungal susceptibility will help in understanding the current scenario and aid in the treatment of the patients. Materials and Methods: The aim of this study was to document the current prevalence of Candida species causing oral thrush in PLHA along with its susceptibility to antifungal drugs in a tertiary care hospital in South India. A total of 140 PLHA more than 18 years of age were screened for oral thrush clinically. Oral swabs were collected and processed by standard protocol in positive patients. Results: Eighteen patients were found to be positive for oral thrush yielding 18 Candida isolates with 5 different species. C.albicans (66.6%) was the most common species followed by C.tropicalis (16.6%). Other species isolated include C.dublinensis, C. krusei and C. parapsilosis 5.5% each. Of the 12 Candida albicans, 10 isolates were susceptible to all the antifungals tested while, one was resistant to ketoconazole and Flucanazole, and the other was resistant to Itraconazole. All the non-albicans Candida were susceptible to all the antifungals tested. CD4 count was less than 200cell/µL in 88.8% patients with oral Candidiasis with significant association. Conclusion: The presence of oral candidiasis in a PLHA should alert the physician towards the advancing immunosuppression. Gradual emergence of non-albicans Candida species is a point concern. Keywords Candida; AIDS; Oral thrush
Published Version
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