MICROBIOLOGICAL STUDY ON CANDIDA PRESENCE IN SALIVA OF CHILDREN WITH ASTHMA

Abstract

Asthma is a chronic disease with increasing frequency that can affect medical and oral health. During the prolonged treatment mainly with corticosteroids and anticholinergic drugs, changes in the oral environment may occur. The aim of this study is to investigate Candida presence in saliva collected from children with asthma and healthy coevals. The study is comprised of 52 children with asthma and 37 controls. Saliva specimens from all the children were prepared and inoculated into selective chromogenic medium to establish colonies growth. Microbial counts determination-followed inoculation. Medium-sized plates were cultured under aerobic conditions. Colony forming units (CFU) were counted and biochemical identification was performed. Nearly one third of the examined children were colonized with yeasts on their oral mucosa without significant difference between the asthmatic and controls (26.9% of asthmatic patients and 29.7% of the controls). Children with asthma had higher microbial counts of Candida (10 4 -10 5 ), whereas healthy children demonstrated mono infestation and lower microbial counts – fewer than10 3 . C. albicans was the most frequently isolated fungal species from the oral cavity in children with asthma (in 69% of the samples) and in healthy children (in 46% of the samples). Some non-albicans species were also isolated in both groups.