Candida albicans is a filamentous yeast that colonises the mouth and gastrointestinal tract of more than 60% of healthy adults. In immunocompromised subjects (cancer, organ transplants, AIDS) it often causes the infection candidiasis. Superficial infections commonly affect the mouth and vagina, while systemic infections, often together with S. aureus, have a 40-60% mortality rate. C. albicans is associated with small intestinal fungal overgrowth (SIFO), causing bloating, diarrhoea and nausea. C. albicans is also associated with Crohn’s disease.
References:
Schulze, J. & Sonnenborn, U. Yeasts in the Gut. Dtsch. Aerzteblatt Online (2009). doi:10.3238/arztebl.2009.0837
Peters, B. M. et al. Microbial interactions and differential protein expression in Staphylococcus aureus -Candida albicans dual-species biofilms. FEMS Immunol. Med. Microbiol. 59, 493–503 (2010).
Weinberger, M. et al. Characteristics of candidaemia with Candida-albicans compared with non-albicans Candida species and predictors of mortality. J. Hosp. Infect. 61, 146–154 (2005).
Erdogan, A. & Rao, S. S. C. Small Intestinal Fungal Overgrowth. Curr. Gastroenterol. Rep. 17, 16 (2015).
Poulain, D. et al. Yeasts: Neglected Pathogens. Dig. Dis. 27, 104–110 (2009).
Candida albicans
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