host posted on May 08, 2009 13:11

Article by Luke Curtis, M.D., C.I.H.
Candida is a common mold or fungus. It can exist either as a small single celled or yeast form or as a branched multi-celled form. The most common species of Candida is Candida albicans, but many other species of Candida are found in humans including C. tropicalis, C. glabrata, C. parapsilosis, C. krusei, C. guilliermondii, and C. lusitaniae.
When Candida or yeast is mentioned, most women tend to think of Candida causing unpleasant vaginal infections. While Candida often causes nasty vaginal infections, Candida can infect every part of the body except the teeth (C Kibbler M.D., Principles and Practice of Clinical Mycology, England 1996). The largest area of Candida colonization is usually the intestinal tract, although Candida frequently also infects the sexual and urinary organs (of both women and men), the mouth, and the skin. Candida infections sometimes create a whitish cottage-cheese like discharge in the mouth. Many women, and men, have heavy Candida overgrowth in their intestines without having any symptoms in their urinary or genital organs.
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