Effect of antifungal treatment on the prevalence of yeasts in HIV-infected subjects

Abstract

Oral candidiasis, the most common opportunistic infection in patients with HIV infection, is usually associated with Candida albicans. Several factors may influence the carriage of Candida, including immunocompromised conditions and HIV infection, colonization by yeasts from different geographical areas and antimycotic treatment. This study investigated the Candida carrier rate, level and types of yeast in HIV-positive and -negative subjects, and the effect of previous exposure to antifungal drugs on the level of yeasts in HIV-positive patients in Gauteng, South Africa. Unstimulated saliva was collected from 332 HIV-positive patients and 100 HIV-negative subjects and cultured for yeasts. The number and species of yeast were determined. HIV-positive patients who carried yeasts were divided into two groups depending upon their previous antifungal drug exposure, and the level of Candida carriage in each group was compared. The Candida carrier rate in the HIV-positive patients (81.3 %) was slightly higher than previously reported and significantly higher (P<0.001) than in the HIV-negative group (63 %). The carrier rate in the HIV-negative group was also higher than in earlier studies. Fourteen per cent of the HIV-positive patients carried more than 10 000 c.f.u. ml−1 whereas none of the HIV-negative subjects carried this large a number of yeasts (P<0.001). Seventy per cent of the yeasts were identified as C. albicans and approximately 30 % as non-albicans species. In conclusion, the Candida carrier rate is higher in the South African population than elsewhere. HIV-positive patients carry more and a greater variety of yeasts than HIV-negative subjects. Exposure to antifungal drugs has no effect on the level of yeast carriage in HIV-positive patients.

Salivary secretion, mucin concentrations and candida carriage in HIV‐infected patients

“…The candida carriage rate of the HIV+ patients in our study (61.4%) was comparable to that of other studies reporting carriage rates of 54.8–81.3% (Teanpaisan and Nittayananta, 1998; Tsang and Samaranayake, 2000; Campisi et al , 2002; Patel et al , 2006). The CD4 + cell count is commonly used as a marker for immunosuppression and disease progression in HIV‐infected patients.…”

Oral Candida colonization in HIV-positive women: associated factors and changes following antiretroviral therapy

“…The prevalence of yeast colonization in the mouth has differed widely depending on the age, location and immune status of the population sampled. A prevalence of 80 % was found in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive children compared with 57.5 % in their seronegative siblings (Cerqueira et al, 2010) A previous study in our hospital found a prevalence of 81.3 % in HIV-positive adults compared with 63 % in their HIV-negative counterparts (Patel et al, 2006).…”

“…Data from a previous study carried out in the same department (Patel et al, 2006) and in a similar group of patients attending the same HIV clinic before ARV therapy was introduced were extracted and compared with the present data. The same protocols were adopted, although the time and sample sizes were different.…”

Conventional and alternative antifungal therapies to oral candidiasis

“…Thus, the use of products from vegetal origin with potential antimicrobial activity can acquire meaning in therapeutical treatments (26, 39). The medicinal plants are frequently used in the treatment of some illnesses and, recently, have been intensely studied as alternative agents for the prevention of diseases, as oral diseases (38).…”