Thrush Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Thrush, including details on oral, vaginal, symptoms, prevention, treatment, infection.

Carriage rate and virulence attributes of oral Candida albicans isolates from patients with oral lichen planus: a study in an ethnic Chinese cohort.

Zeng X, Hou X, Wang Z, Jiang L, Xiong C, Zhou M, Chen Q

State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, West China College of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.

The objectives of this study are to investigate the carriage rate of Candida albicans from the patients with oral lichen planus (OLP, erosive and non-erosive subtypes) and the healthy control individuals in a Chinese cohort and then to compare the virulence attributes of these isolates. Oral C. albicans isolates from 300 patients with OLP as well as 128 healthy controls were isolated and a total of 112 isolates from patients with erosive OLP (62), non-erosive OLP (24) and healthy control (26) were screened for phospholipase activity by using an in vitro plate assay method. Adhesion ability of the above isolates was also studied by using buccal epithelial cells assay. Statistically, the carriage rate of C. albicans from the patients with erosive OLP (44.29%) was higher than that of patients with non-erosive OLP (15.00%) or the healthy control group (20.31%) (P < 0.001). The adhesion to buccal epithelial cells of the isolates from the erosive OLP group (3.950 +/- 1.436) was more marked (P < 0.001) than that from healthy control (2.2112 +/- 0.4833). The phospholipase activity of these isolates either from erosive (0.4170 +/- 0.029) or non-erosive OLP groups (0.4327 +/- 0.028) was higher (P < 0.001) than that from healthy controls (0.5259 +/- 0.074). Some C. albicans isolates with special virulence attributes might be co-factors, which contribute to the development of OLP, especially erosive OLP.

Published 19 February 2009 in Mycoses, 52(2): 161-5.
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Articles on Thrush published 17 February 2009:

Th17 cells and IL-17 receptor signaling are essential for mucosal host defense against oral candidiasis.   J Exp Med, 206(2): 299-311.

The commensal fungus Candida albicans causes oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC; thrush) in settings of immunodeficiency. Although disseminated, vaginal, and oral candidiasis are all caused by C. albicans species, host defense against C. albicans varies by anatomical location. T helper 1 (Th1) cells have long been implicated in defense against candidiasis, whereas the role of Th17 cells remains controversial. IL-17 mediates inflammatory pathology in a gastric model of mucosal candidiasis, but is ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Rethinking T cell immunity in oropharyngeal candidiasis.   J Exp Med, 206(2): 269-73.

The disproportionate increase in oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC) compared with systemic and vaginal candidiasis in female patients with AIDS has been a paradox for almost three decades. New data now show that severe OPC develops in Th17-deficient mice, but not Th1-deficient mice, implicating Th17-induced effector molecules in resistance to oral disease. These findings clarify and extend our current thinking about how CD4 T cell deficiency influences susceptibility to OPC. [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Thrush published 17 December 2008:

Oral mucosal cell response to Candida albicans in transgenic mice expressing HIV-1.   Methods Mol Biol, 470: 359-68.

Controlled studies on the immunopathogenesis of mucosal candidiasis in HIV infection have been hampered by the lack of a relevant animal model. We have previously reported that oral Candida infection in CD4C/HIV transgenic mice expressing gene products of HIV-1 in immune cells and developing an AIDS-like disease closely mimics oropharyngeal candidiasis in human HIV infection. The role of defective dendritic cells and CD4+ T cells in impaired induction of protective immunity and in the phenotype ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Thrush published 3 November 2008:

Laryngeal candidiasis mimicking malignancy.   Laryngoscope, 118(11): 1957-9.

Isolated laryngeal candidiasis in immunocompetent individuals is a rare entity with fewer than 40 cases reported in the literature. Laryngeal candidiasis secondary to inhaled steroid therapy is usually mild and has been reported in 10% to 15% of patients complaining of dysphonia during treatment. We present a case of laryngeal candidiasis mimicking laryngeal carcinoma in an immunocompetent patient being treated with inhaled fluticasone for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Biopsy of the ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Thrush published 22 October 2008:

Treatment-related risk factors for hospital mortality in Candida bloodstream infections.   Crit Care Med, 36(11): 2967-72.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between treatment-related variables for Candida bloodstream infection and hospital mortality. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort analysis. SETTING: Thousand two hundred-bed academic medical center. PATIENTS: A total of 245 consecutive patients with Candida bloodstream infections who received antifungal therapy. INTERVENTIONS: Identification of treatment-related risk factors: central vein catheter retention, inadequate initial fluconazole dosing, and delayed ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Thrush published 17 October 2008:

Patients with chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis exhibit reduced production of Th17-associated cytokines IL-17 and IL-22.   J Invest Dermatol, 128(11): 2640-5.

Chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis (CMC) constitutes a selective inability to clear infection with the yeast Candida, resulting in persistent debilitating inflammation of skin, nails, and mucous membranes. The underlying defect is unknown. Only recently, IL-17-producing T cells have been reported to be involved in clearing Candida infections. In order to characterize T cellular immune response to Candida, we analyzed T-cell cytokine secretion to Candida antigen and mitogenic stimuli in CMC ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Thrush published 16 October 2008:

Single-dose fluconazole versus standard 2-week therapy for oropharyngeal candidiasis in HIV-infected patients: a randomized, double-blind, double-dummy trial.   Clin Infect Dis, 47(10): 1270-6.

BACKGROUND: Oropharyngeal candidiasis is the most common opportunistic infection affecting patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Because of convenience, cost, and reluctance to complicate antiretroviral treatment regimens, single-dose fluconazole may be a favorable regimen for treatment of moderate to severe oropharyngeal candidiasis. We conducted a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to compare the clinical and mycological responses, relapse ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Thrush published 13 October 2008:

Immune defence mechanisms and immunoenhancement strategies in oropharyngeal candidiasis.   Expert Rev Mol Med, 10: e29.

The prevalence of oropharyngeal candidiasis continues to be high, mainly because of an increasing population of immunocompromised patients. Traditional treatment of oropharyngeal candidiasis has relied on the use of antimicrobial drugs. However, unsatisfactory results with drug monotherapy and the emergence of resistant strains have prompted investigations into the potential use of adjunctive immunoenhancing therapies for the treatment of these infections. Here we review the host-recognition ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

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