Candida - An Overview

Candida – an ironically pretty name for an opportunistic little organism that may be the cause of untold misery in people’s lives. Candida is a yeast/fungus and the most common cause of opportunistic fungal infections in human beings worldwide. It is found colonizing the skin and mucous membranes of 80% of all people. It loves warm, moist, alkaline areas and can also be found in the environment. There are around 154 different kinds of Candida. Amongst these, six are most likely to be implicated in human infections.

Candida Albicans
CandidaTropicalis
Candida Glabrata
Candida Parapsilosis
Candida Krusei
Candida Lusitaniae

Infections caused by Candida are generally referred to as Candidiasis, or Candida-Related Complex and by far the most common causal agent is Candida Albicans. However, the range of Candida found in infections is increasing. Candida Albicans generally causes no problems, in a healthy, balanced, well-nourished, immuno-competent body. When the balance of the body is upset, however, after having taken antibiotics, for example, then Candida can make its presence felt in no uncertain terms. Most of you will be familiar with Vaginal Thrush and Oral Thrush, (the latter especially in babies). - Sore, itchy and very distressing. Candida Albicans is the causal agent in this condition.

Thrush

Thrush has historically been viewed by the medical profession and possibly some sufferers too, as a fairly minor, though very painful and irritating infection, which can be quickly cleared up by oral or topical fungicides and having no real long term detrimental health effects. As a result, Candida has not routinely been recognised as a serious pathogen, with potentially very damaging and wide ranging health effects for sufferers.

There are a growing number of practitioners, however, who have been claiming for some time that an overgrowth of Candida in the gastrointestinal tract or in association with mucous membranes, results in a syndrome known as Candidiasis or Candida-Related Complex. In particular, invasive Candidiasis in hospitalized patients, with severely compromised immune systems is a cause of grave concern.

This has generated massive interest in the public media and health publications over recent years.

However, the syndrome was not really clearly defined and a lack of robust peer reviewed clinical trials meant that many medical practitioners remained unconvinced of its existence.

In patients who present with a range of symptoms, many medical practitioners have been reluctant to consider the possibility of Candidiasis or Candida-related complex as a causal agent owing to the difficulty of diagnosis.

Thrush can be seen as a whitish coating, therefore quite obviously exists. There is no single easy way of diagnosing a superabundance of Candida in the system, as a whole. There is no simple laboratory test which would allow sufferers of this disorder to be effectively diagnosed. Though there are a number of alternative approaches to this problem, which could point to the way forward.

To sum up, in the past, medical practitioners have not routinely been inclined to consider the possibility that a wide range of apparently unconnected symptoms might be caused by a superabundance of Candida. There are some signs that there is a growing awareness of the problem, though there also remains much skepticism. The worrying aspect is that the problem may be on the increase, as strains of Candida become immune to the usually prescribed anti fungal agents.