Learn what is candidiasis and the different types including oral, cutaneous and vulvovaginal including treatment
There are infections caused by species of the genus Candida (Candida spp.) are called candidiasis or thrush. Superficial Candida infections are those that affect the skin, nails or mucous membrane surface, can occur in people with or without predisposing factors, but are more frequent in the latter. The deep infections are those pictures that have a superficial location and not affecting patients with a high degree of immune suppression or other factors which are serious. Within the deep candidiasis encompasses several types of fungal infection for which there was some confusion when it comes to defining them. The systemic candidiasis are infections that affect one or more solid organs deep.
The disseminated candidiasis is a subtype of systemic candidiasis, whose characteristic is the extension by hematogenous, infecting two or more organs without contiguity relations. Candidemia only refers to the presence of Candida spp. in the bloodstream. Within the deep fungal infection can also include deep mucosal candidiasis, such as esophageal or gastrointestinal2.
However, terms such as systemic or disseminated can be confusing in clinical practice, so it is better to subdivide the deep infections according to the anatomic site that is involved in infection (for example, candidosis urinary tract).
Ecology and epidemiology
The microorganisms that belong to this genus are often available as single-cell organisms (yeast), although some species can produce filaments (hyphae and pseudohifas) both in vivo and in culture. This genre includes haploid and diploid species, which are sexual or asexual and biochemical properties variables. More than 200 known species of Candida. These microorganisms grow well in normal growth media, identified by its microscopic morphology and biochemistry convencionales.
Candida albicans is the kind that results in an increased number of candidiasis, maybe by as much as 50%. Other species are often isolated in clinical samples, by highlighting its prevalence species such as C. tropicalis, C. glabrata, C. parapsilosis, C. krusei, C. lusitaniae, C. guilliermondii, C. kefyr, C. famata, C. zeylanoides and C. dubliniensis5. It should be stressed that all these species known in the literature as non-C. albicans was isolated with increasing frequency in some tertiaries hospitals and in some groups of patients, leading to conduct epidemiological studies on the influence of certain variables, such as prophylaxis with antifungal drugs, the risk of cross infection and changes ecológicos.
Candida spp. are part of the flora of the skin, Faner, mucous membranes, gastrointestinal tract and the genitourinary system of human beings. There have also been isolated in animals, plants, inanimate objects and the environment. C. albicans is found less frequently than other species in samples from the environment, so some authors believe that it is a saprophyte specific animals and people.
Other species are isolated in clinical samples such as environmental, although showing some degree of tropism. For example, C. tropicalis are usually isolated in samples from the gastrointestinal tract, C. glabrata in specimens taken from the female genitourinary, and C. parapsilosis in samples of skin and Faner.
