Candida Albicans – What is it?
Candida comes from the Latin meaning ‘clearish white’, because of the way it manifests itself in conditions such as Thrush.
Candida Albicans is a diploid fungus, that is to say a form of yeast. It is anaerobic – that is, it thrives in oxygen free environments. It is polymorphic, which means it can produce hyphae and pseudohyphae, ie tentacle like outgrowths, which allow it to latch on to things. It is thought that its ability to assume different forms accounts for its pathogenicity.
It shares some similarities with food yeasts, but they do not have the same ability as Candida to adhere to and colonize the mucous membranes. It is found commonly in the environment, in the soil for example, and leftover food. It is found in birds where it causes a range of different symptoms. This is especially common in young birds or if a bird has been treated with antibiotics.
Candida is present in around 80% of humans, predominantly in the gut and other mucous membranes, such as the vagina, the rectum and the mouth. When the body is in balance, it does not cause any problems. It only becomes pathogenic, or harmful to health, once some change in its host environment has occurred, allowing it to grow out of control. It then changes from its usual unicellular form and becomes multi cellular, and sends out filaments which enable it to penetrate the gut wall and colonize the body at the expense of other useful micro-organisms and bodily processes. It has been suggested that out of control Candida also absorbs vital nutrients in the body, causing nutritional imbalances in the host, and all the ill effects that go along with that.
Candida - An Opportunistic Fungus
In fact, it seems as if Candida Albicans is an amazingly opportunistic fungus which can change its form when there is an alteration in its normal environment. It will take advantage of a situation where the population of so called ‘good bacteria’ within the gut has fallen dramatically, or when a person is suffering from a weakened immune system. Candida can then proliferate throughout the body with very wide range of deleterious effects on the health of the individual. Once Candida is on the loose it is believed to release a very large number of toxins into the body which are deleterious to human health.
Candida can only establish itself if the body's natural defence systems have been impaired, and biochemical levels have altered to create ideal Candida conditions.
For example, invasive Candidiasis in hospitalised patients is becoming a serious problem, especially for those whose systems have become severely immunocompromised, such as those who have undergone chemotherapy or major surgery, or have had a bone marrow transplant, or are suffering from HIV AIDS.
Gastro Intestinal Candidiasis
The idea that Candidiasis can also affect people with normal immune systems has largely been ignored and there has been much debate on this issue.
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