Abstract
BackgroundCandida is a ubiquitous organism in nature which inhabits the oral cavity as part of the normal microbial flora. The oral carriage of Candida is perpetuated by several predisposing factors.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was designed to investigate the carriage rate of Candida among 104 voluntary adults at the college of medicine - Jouf University. The concentrated oral rinse technique using Sabouraud Dextrose agar medium supplemented with 0.05% Chloramphenicol was used to isolate Candida. The relative factors affecting the colonization of Candida and the concentration of each type were also determined.ResultsCandida species were isolated from the oral cavity of 45 (43.4%) subjects. Of these 55.6% were identifies as C. albicans as determined by the Vitek 2 compact system. Other Candida species were represented by C. glabrata (11.1%), C. krusei (11.1%), C. dubliniensis (8.9%), C. parapsilosis (6.7%), C. tropicalis (4.4%), and C. famata (2.2%). Subjects with very poor plaque status, severe gingivitis and diabetes had significantly (P = 0.001) high concentration of Candida spp.ConclusionPlague, severe gingivitis, and diabetes were found to be significantly associated with higher Candida colonization.
Highlights
Candida is a ubiquitous organism in nature which inhabits the oral cavity as part of the normal microbial flora
Based on the very limited information regarding the oral carriage of Candida in our region [9] and to the knowledge obtained from the indexed literature, only one study has investigated the asymptomatic oral carriage of Candida [14]
Bamford-Mason et al [13] showed that there is a significant relationship between the blood group O and Candida colonization, and our results were consistent with this, as we found that individuals with blood group O had higher carriage rates than those with other blood groups
Summary
Candida is a ubiquitous organism in nature which inhabits the oral cavity as part of the normal microbial flora. Of the over 200 known species of Candida only 40 are capable of causing disease. Candida albicans is the most prevalent isolated species in both symptomatic and asymptomatic candidiasis cases. Candida are known to elicit disease only if there is debilitation to an individual’s immune status either locally or systemically [7]. In such cases, these commensals invade and penetrate the mucosal surfaces and form an essential step in the development of candidiasis [8]. Since candidiasis is often caused through endogenous infection by the Candida species, it is important to study and investigate the normal commensal flora of asymptomatic hosts at the population level
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