Candidiasis: A Fungal Infection- Current Challenges and Progress in Prevention and Treatment

Abstract

Despite therapeutic advances candidiasis remains a common fungal infection most frequently caused by C. albicans and may occur as vulvovaginal candidiasis or thrush, a mucocutaneous candidiasis. Candidiasis frequently occurs in newborns, in immune-deficient people like AIDS patients, and in people being treated with broad spectrum antibiotics. It is mainly due to C. albicans while other species such as C. tropicalis, C. glabrata, C. parapsilosis and C. krusei are increasingly isolated. OTC antifungal dosage forms such as creams and gels can be used for effective treatment of local candidiasis. Whereas, for preventing spread of the disease to deeper vital organs, candidiasis antifungal chemotherapy is preferred. Use of probiotics and development of novel vaccines is an advanced approach for the prevention of candidiasis. Present review summarizes the diagnosis, current status and challenges in the treatment and prevention of candidiasis with prime focus on host defense against candidiasis, advancements in diagnosis, probiotics role and recent progress in the development of vaccines against candidiasis.

In vitro evaluation on HeLa cells of protective mechanisms of probiotic lactobacilli against Candida clinical isolates

“…Lactobacillus plantarum 319 showed the greatest blocking activity by exclusion mechanism against six of eight Candida strains tested including all the C. albicans strains which are the most frequent agents causing vaginal infection (Hani et al . ). No strain was able to significantly inhibit by exclusion mechanism, the adhesion of C. glabrata and C. krusei strains, which are non‐albicans Candida (NAC) species that cause 35 ± 65% of all candidaemias in the general patient population (Krcmery and Barnes ).…”

Anadenanthera Colubrina vell Brenan: anti-Candida and antibiofilm activities, toxicity and therapeutical action

“…4 C. albicans is part of the oral microbiota and is isolated in approximately 80% of healthy individuals. 2,3 Candidiasis is one of the most frequent opportunistic infections in immunocompromised patients, especially Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and cancer patients, 5 with a prevalence of 9 to 31% and 20%, respectively. In addition, it occurs in about 5% to 7% of children in the first years of life and is quite frequent in users of the total dental prosthesis.…”

In-vitro efficacies of topical microemulsions of clotrimazole and ketoconazole; and in-vivo performance of clotrimazole microemulsion

“…Candida albicans is the predominant yeast amongst pathogenic Candida species [1]. Generally, the topical candidiasis are oral, vaginal, rectal and cutaneous [1][2][3]. The efficacy of drug substances has been improved by using several state of the art techniques.…”