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PubMedDate not supplied

Oral candidiasis in children with immune suppression: clinical appearance and therapeutic considerations.

Children and adolescents with immune compromise and suppression are particularly susceptible to the development of oral candidiasis. In fact, oral candidiasis is the most common oral manifestation in HIV-infected children. Oral candidiasis has been linked to a depressed immune system, more rapid progression to AIDS, more advanced stage of disease in AIDS, and decreased survival. Several different forms of candidiasis may be recognized clinically. These forms are 1) pseudomembraneous candidiasis; 2) erythematous (atrophic) candidiasis; 3) papillary hyperplasia; 4) chronic hyperplastic candidiasis; 5) angular cheilitis; and 6) median rhomboid glossitis. Diagnosis of candidiasis is primarily based upon clinical appearance; in some cases, however, exfoliative cytology and/or biopsy of the lesion may be necessary. It is also possible to culture the lesion to determine the specific subtype of candidia and to evaluate the susceptibility of the fungus to specific antifungal agents. Both topical and systemic treatment by antifungal medications are readily available.

Antifungal Agents↗
PubMed2002

A systematic review of the management of oral candidiasis associated with HIV/AIDS.

The purpose of this review was to investigate the management of oral candidiasis in HIV/AIDS patients and to evaluate the different guidelines available for its management. A number of topical and systemic antifungal medications are used to treat oral candidiasis in HIV-positive patients. Milder episodes of oral candidiasis respond to topical therapy with nystatin, clotrimazole troches or oral ketoconazole. Fluconazole has been extensively evaluated as a treatment for candidiasis. With HIV-infection, a cure rate of 82% has been achieved with a daily oral dose of 50 mg. Fluconazole was found to be a better choice of treatment for relapsing oropharyngeal candidiasis, resulting in either better cure rates or better prevention of relapse. Intravenous amphotericin B has been found to be effective in azole-refractory candidiasis and is well tolerated. Topical therapies are effective for uncomplicated oropharyngeal candidiasis; however, patients relapsed more quickly than those treated with oral systemic antifungal therapy. Nystatin appeared less effective than clotrimazole and the azoles in the treatment of oropharyngeal candidiasis. Clotrimazole was found to be just as effective for resolution of clinical symptoms as the azoles, except when patient compliance was poor. Fluconazole-treated patients were more likely to remain disease-free during the fluconazole follow-up period than those treated with other antifungal agents.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Overview of studies of fluconazole in oropharyngeal candidiasis.

Studies with fluconazole in oropharyngeal candidiasis have focused primarily on three groups of infections: chronic atrophic candidiasis, oropharyngeal infections associated with either neutropenia or AIDS, and chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis. In two studies of chronic atrophic candidiasis associated with dentures, 82 patients received 7 or 14 days of therapy with fluconazole (50 mg daily). Clinical and mycologic cure rates ranged from 69% to 100%, with the best results occurring with 14 days of therapy in combination with the cleansing of dentures. Thirteen patients with oroesophageal candidiasis associated with chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis were treated with 50 or 200 mg of fluconazole daily, and clinical and mycologic remissions were achieved in a mean period of 10 days. So far 95 patients have been treated with fluconazole for oropharyngeal candidiasis associated with malignancy, therapeutic immunosuppression, AIDS, or AIDS-related complex. Infection was cured by clinical criteria in 84% of those studied. While the majority of patients with clinical cure had significant reductions in the number of yeast colonies, only 48% had negative oral cultures at the end of therapy with courses of 50 mg of fluconazole daily for 5 days to 8 weeks.

Candidiasis↗
PubMed1994

Nipple candidiasis among breastfeeding mothers. Case-control study of predisposing factors.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate factors that predispose breastfeeding mothers to nipple candidiasis. DESIGN: A retrospective case-control study of women attending the Calgary Breastfeeding Clinic. SETTING: Ambulatory breastfeeding referral centre. PARTICIPANTS: All women (105) who attended the clinic during a 3.5-month study period. All were referred for problems with breastfeeding; 27 (the case group) had positive diagnostic criteria for nipple candidiasis. The other 78 formed a control group. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: A patient information sheet, completed while taking a medical history, recorded the presence or absence of four possible predisposing factors. Two infant variables were also noted on physical examination. Patients were diagnosed as having or not having nipple candidiasis on the basis of specific clinical criteria, and statistics on other variables were compared for those with positive and with negative diagnoses. RESULTS: A statistically significant correlation (P < 0.05) was found between nipple candidiasis and three factors: vaginal candidiasis (P = 0.001), previous antibiotic use (P = 0.036), and nipple trauma (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Further research is required to establish clear causality. However, we recommend that physicians be suspicious of nipple candidiasis; avoid antibiotics or use the shortest effective course; treat yeast vaginitis during the third trimester and after delivery aggressively; and treat mothers for nipple yeast if babies have oral or diaper candidiasis. Breastfeeding mothers can also be counseled in preventive measures.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed2001

A novel mutation of the autoimmune regulator gene in an Italian kindred with autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy, acting in a dominant fashion and strongly cosegregating with hypothyroid autoimmune thyroiditis.

Autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by hypoparathyroidism, adrenal failure, chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis, and ectodermal dystrophies and other organ-specific autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy is caused by mutations of the autoimmune regulator gene. We identified an Italian family with autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy and a pattern of inheritance suggestive of a dominant mechanism. Serological and clinical studies showed a high prevalence of hypothyroid autoimmune thyroiditis in affected members with classical autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy. Direct sequencing of the entire coding region of the autoimmune regulator gene revealed the presence in the proband of a novel missense (G228W) mutation in exon 6 in a heterozygous state. The same heterozygous mutation was identified in all family members with autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy and/or hypothyroid autoimmune thyroiditis. None of the unaffected family members and 50 unrelated Italian controls carried the mutation. In contrast with all other autoimmune regulator mutations reported in families, the novel G228W mutation acts in a dominant fashion in our family, as only one heterozygous mutation was found in the entire coding sequence of the autoimmune regulator gene in the proband. Moreover, analysis of the family tree showed direct transmission of the hypothyroid autoimmune thyroiditis/polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy phenotype to the offspring in each generation in the absence of consanguinity, further supporting a dominant inheritance. The G228W closely cosegregated with hypothyroid autoimmune thyroiditis in our family, whereas a low penetrance of the full autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy phenotype was observed. In conclusion, we report a novel mutation of the autoimmune regulator gene in a family with autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy, closely cosegregating with hypothyroid autoimmune thyroiditis. The G228W mutation acts in a dominant fashion and may shed light on the structure-function relationship of the autoimmune regulator protein.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Esophageal candidiasis. Managing an increasingly prevalent infection.

Esophageal candidiasis is an opportunistic infection that is being recognized increasingly often in certain patients, including those who have a neoplastic disease, are undergoing protracted antibiotic therapy, or hae acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Impaired cell-mediated immunity may predispose the patient to esophageal mucosal colonization, whereas chemotherapy-induced granulocytopenia may predispose to disseminated candidiasis. Esophageal candidiasis should be suspected in susceptible patients with complaints of substernal odynophagia or dysphagia. The diagnosis is confirmed by endoscopically directed mucosal biopsy. Esophagitis from other causes (eg. herpes simplex virus, cytomegalovirus, or bacterial infection) may develop concomitantly with esophageal candidiasis. Treatment is determined by the clinical and immune status of the patient. Amphotericin B (Fungizone) is administered to immunocompromised patients at risk for disseminated or deeply invasive candidiasis and is indicated in nongranulocytopenic patients whose symptoms prevent reliable administration of oral antifungal agents. Ketoconazole (Nizoral) may be administered to clinically stable nongranulocytopenic patients with esophageal candidiasis limited to the mucosa. Patients with AIDS and a history of esophageal candidiasis usually benefit from long-term suppression with an oral antifungal agent.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1995

Opportunistic candidiasis: an epidemic of the 1980s.

Hospital discharge data from 1980 to 1989 from the National Center for Health Statistics, National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDH), and two commercially generated hospital discharge data sources (PAS and McAuto) were analyzed to document nationally the increased rate of opportunistic candidal infections among hospitalized patients in the 1980s and to identify the major risk factors. National projections were made by year. Age-, sex-, race-, and disease-specific denominators were generated from NHDS data. ICD-9-CM codes derived from discharge diagnoses were used to identify patients with oropharyngeal candidiasis, disseminated candidiasis, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection/AIDS, or malignancies and transplants. Between 1980 and 1989, rates of oropharyngeal candidiasis increased 4.7 times (from 0.34 to 1.6 cases per 1,000 admissions per year), and the number of deaths among patients with oropharyngeal candidiasis increased fivefold. Although the highest rates were among pediatric patients (3 cases per 1,000 pediatric admissions), the greatest rate increases were among 15- to 44-year-old patients (13-fold) and males (fivefold). Between 1983 and 1989, the rates of oropharyngeal candidiasis among patients with HIV infections/AIDS rose more than 22 times (from 0.02 to 0.45 case per 1,000 admissions; NHDS data). Over the whole decade, the rates of disseminated candidiasis increased 11 times (from 0.013 to 0.15 case per 1,000 admissions). Between 1985 and 1989, the rate of this complication among patients with HIV infection/AIDS increased 10-fold, compared with only a twofold rate increase among patients with malignancies or transplants. The rate of debilitating and life-threatening candidiasis among hospitalized patients increased considerably over the 1980s. This rate increase was significant among patients with HIV infection/AIDS and patients undergoing transplantation or immunosuppressive therapy for malignancies.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1983

Candidal antigen detection in pulmonary candidiasis.

To better characterize pulmonary candidiasis, lung tissue samples from 58 hospital subjects were examined by immunohistochemical analysis with antiserums to candidal mannan and cytoplasmic antigens. In nine cases of invasive pulmonary candidiasis, fungal antigens were abundant in lung specimens and were distributed in two immunohistologic patterns. Antigen dissemination beyond the lung was confirmed by detection of antigenemia by mannan radioimmunoassay in serum samples in cases of pulmonary candidiasis of each immunohistologic pattern. In contrast, minimal, focal quantities of fungal antigens were detected in lung tissue specimens from nine subjects with thrush or aspiration but without pulmonary candidiasis; no antigen was detected in 40 additional cases of noncandidal mycotic, bacterial, viral, and parasitic pneumonias. Immunohistochemical criteria that denote invasive pulmonary candidiasis include the abundance of diffuse candidal antigens in bronchiolar and alveolar fluid and cytoplasmic staining of phagocytes. When compared with routine histologic stains, the diagnostic yield in cases of invasive pulmonary candidiasis was significantly increased by detection of candidal antigenic material. This study of 58 well-documented cases shows that immunohistochemical detection of candidal antigens facilitates the diagnosis of candidal pneumonia and distinguishes clinically significant pulmonary candidiasis from noninvasive aspiration, opportunistic colonization, or specimen contamination.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

The natural history of esophageal candidiasis after successful treatment in patients with AIDS.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Antifungal therapy cures esophageal candidiasis in most patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, but the subsequent course of these patients is not established. This study examines the natural history of esophageal candidiasis after successful treatment. METHODS: Patients with endoscopic and clinical resolution of esophageal candidiasis after therapy were followed up prospectively with monthly clinical assessment and repeat endoscopy every 3 months or earlier if esophageal symptoms recurred or if the patient was to begin antifungal therapy for another reason. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients met entry criteria; 21 agreed to enroll. The patients were followed up for a mean of 23 +/- 4 weeks after their initial posttreatment endoscopy. Nineteen patients (90%) had recurrent esophageal candidiasis at a mean of 11 +/- 2 weeks (range, 3-36 weeks). The 19 patients had 31 recurrences; 25 (81%) occurred < or = 10 weeks after documented cure of the prior episode of esophageal candidiasis. Twenty-two (71%) of the 31 recurrent episodes were symptomatic, and only 9 (29%) were associated with oral thrush. All symptomatic recurrences responded to treatment with fluconazole; 1 of 22 (5%) failed to show endoscopic resolution. CONCLUSIONS: Almost all patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and successfully treated esophageal candidiasis develop a recurrence, usually within 2-3 months. Two thirds are symptomatic and one third are associated with oral thrush. Subsequent episodes of esophageal candidiasis respond well to oral therapy.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1996

Recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis associated with long-term tamoxifen treatment in postmenopausal women.

BACKGROUND: Symptomatic vulvovaginal candidiasis is rare in postmenopausal subjects because of the estrogen-dependence of this infection. Tamoxifen, a breast-cancer cell estrogen-antagonist, has not previously been reported to predispose to vulvovaginal candidiasis. CASES: Three postmenopausal women, age range 60-81 years (mean 71), were identified with recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. In all three cases, new onset of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis followed daily tamoxifen therapy. The duration of prior tamoxifen therapy was 1-7 years (mean 3.5). One patient had diabetes mellitus, an additional risk factor for vulvovaginal candidiasis. In all three patients, Candida glabrata was identified as the causal pathogen, although in two patients symptomatic episodes caused by Candida albicans also occurred. In all cases, diagnosis was easily established using conventional investigations, and eradication of vulvovaginal candidiasis was possible without cessation of tamoxifen. CONCLUSION: Long-term tamoxifen treatment may be complicated by recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis in postmenopausal women.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Host factors associated with HIV-related oral candidiasis. A review.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related oral candidiasis affects approximately one third of HIV-seropositive patients and more than 90% of patients with AIDS. It is necessary to identify patients who have a greater risk of candidiasis developing, so that interventions can be designed to reduce the frequency. This is particularly important because there is evidence that Candida species are immunosuppressive and therefore candidiasis may adversely affect the prognosis of patients with HIV. Susceptibility to HIV-related oral candidiasis is associated with xerostomia, severity of disease, depression of cell-mediated immunity, and older age (greater than 35 years). The frequency of HIV-related oral candidiasis is notably increased when the CD4 lymphocyte count falls to less than 300 cells/mm3. Xerostomia appears to be a better predictor of HIV-related oral candidiasis than CD4 count and should be prevented (e.g., by avoiding xerogenic drugs) and treated, when necessary, to minimize the risk of oral candidiasis.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1993

Value of the Hybritech ICON Candida Assay in the diagnosis of invasive candidiasis in high-risk patients.

A total of 314 sera from 114 patients at risk for invasive candidiasis were analyzed for the presence of antigenemia using the Hybritech enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for detection of Candida mannan in serum (ICON Candida Assay, Hybritech Inc., San Diego, CA). Fourteen patients (12%) had invasive candidiasis documented by positive blood cultures, deep biopsy culture, and histopathology or autopsy, and five patients had probable invasive candidiasis based on a single positive blood culture and no additional signs of candidiasis. Nine patients had candiduria, 43 patients had mucous membrane colonization, 25 patients were not colonized but received empiric amphotericin B, and 18 patients were not colonized and not treated with amphotericin B. All sera were enzymatically extracted, heat treated, and reacted in a solid-phase sandwich EIA. Test results were read visually and with the ICON reader. The sensitivity and specificity of the mannan EIA in detection of documented invasive candidiasis was 86% and 92%, respectively. The positive predictive value was 60% and the negative predictive value was 98%. Among all patients with invasive candidiasis (documented plus probable), the sensitivity was 68%, the positive predictive value 62%, and the negative predictive value 94%. Specimens were positive within 3 days of the first positive culture in 11 (79%) of 14 patients with documented invasive candidiasis.

Antigens, Fungal↗
PubMed1995

Vulvo-vaginal candidiasis associated with acitretin.

The aim of this study was to estimate the risk of vulvo-vaginal candidiasis among the users of acitretin. The incidence rate ratio of vulvo-vaginal candidiasis was estimated in a cohort of acitretin users by using prescription sequence analysis. Study subjects were 196 women between 15 and 45 years of age, exposed to acitretin in 1990. Prescriptions of drugs for treatment of vulvo-vaginal candidiasis were used as proxy for the occurrence of vulvo-vaginal candidiasis. Validation of the proxy drug was performed by record linkage of pharmacy and medical records. In addition to the risk estimation by incidence rate ratios a case-crossover study with patient-stratified logistic regression analysis was performed to control for distortion due to individual differences in contribution of exposure time. The positive predictive value of the proxy drug for vulvo-vaginal candidiasis ranged between 57 and 100%, the sensitivity was 87% and the specificity estimated 99%. The crude incidence rate ratio for vulvo-vaginal candidiasis following acitretin exposure was 2.8 (CI95%: 1.1-7.1). The pooled Mantel-Haenszel incidence rate ratio was 3.3 (CI95%: 1.1-9.6) after stratification for accumulated level of exposure. Patient-stratified analysis on the subgroup of cases (n = 15) revealed an odds ratio of 6.5 (CI95%: 2.3-18.2). This study strongly suggests that the higher occurrence of vulvo-vaginal candidiasis during acitretin exposure is attributable to the drug.

Acitretin↗
PubMed1989

Prospective evaluation of a Candida antigen detection test for invasive candidiasis in immunocompromised adult patients with cancer.

PURPOSE: Serologic tests to detect invasive candidiasis generally have been unreliable. We prospectively evaluated the clinical utility of a new, promising commercial latex particle agglutination test (i.e., Cand-Tec, Ramco Laboratories, Inc., Houston, Texas). This assay detects Candida antigens in serum. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We examined the reliability of Cand-Tec to diagnose invasive candidiasis in 142 consecutive in-patients intensively treated with chemo-radiation therapy. Serum samples were collected at admission and then weekly, until the patients' death or hospital discharge. Evaluation for clinical utility was done using various reference titers. Twenty-nine patients had invasive candidiasis whereas 113 patients did not have documented invasive candidal infections. RESULTS: At a titer of 1:8, the Cand-Tec test had sensitivity of 38%, specificity of 90%, positive predictive value of 50%, and negative predictive value of 85%. Weekly use of the Cand-Tec test did not improve early detection of invasive candidiasis, providing only a mean interval of 0.4 day from the first positive Cand-Tec result to a definitive diagnosis of invasive candidiasis by blood culture, tissue biopsy, or autopsy. In addition, surveillance cultures from the oropharynx or stool were not helpful in identifying those patients who would develop an invasive fungal infection. CONCLUSION: In the context of current clinical management strategies for suspected fungal infection, the Candida antigen detection assay (Cand-Tec) is not a reliable method for diagnosis of deep candidiasis in neutropenic patients. Until better methods of early detection are available, patients at high risk for the development of invasive candidiasis should continue to receive empiric antifungal agent therapy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Epidemiology and pathogenesis of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis.

Millions of women worldwide continue to suffer from vulvovaginal candidiasis, which is second only to anaerobic bacterial vaginosis in the United States. Evidence is presented of an increasing incidence of vulvovaginal candidiasis, the cause of which is unclear, but this increase is probably the result of multiple factors including widespread abuse of antibiotics, possibly oral contraceptives, and most important inadequate vaginal therapy. Some women never experience vulvovaginal candidiasis, others have infrequent episodes, and a third subpopulation have recurrent episodes resulting in considerable morbidity and suffering. Two fundamental questions face investigators: the mechanism whereby asymptomatic colonization converts to symptomatic disease and the elusive explanation for frequent recurrences of vulvovaginal candidiasis. Although several factors have been identified as predisposing to recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (pregnancy, oral contraceptives, exogenous hormones, antibiotics, diabetes mellitus, etc.), the majority of women with recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis do not have recognizable predisposing factors. What has emerged over the last few years is the awareness that different pathogenic mechanisms may be operative in individual patients responsible for a spectrum of clinical manifestations. Understanding the pathogenic mechanisms is essential if we are to progress in treatment. In addition to the study of newer antimycotic agents, new strategies of therapy are required and must be individualized for patients with recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed2000

Vaginal colonization by Candida in asymptomatic women with and without a history of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis.

OBJECTIVE: The asymptomatic carriage of Candida in the vagina of women with a history of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis was compared with that of women with no such history. METHODS: Vaginal swabs from 50 women with a history of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis and 45 women with one or fewer episodes of candidal vaginitis within the past 12 months were evaluated for Candida by wet mount/Gram stain, culture, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). All women were asymptomatic for at least 30 days. RESULTS: Candida was identified in 28 women by PCR, in 14 women by culture, and in 13 women by wet mount/Gram stain. Candida was identified by PCR in a similar proportion of patients with previous recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (30%) and in controls (28.8%). However, Candida was identified by culture in more women with previous recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (22%) than in controls (6.6%, P = .04); it also was identified by wet mount/Gram stain in more women with recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (22%) than in controls (4.4%, P = .01). For the recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis patients, culture and wet mount/Gram stain had a sensitivity of 66.6% compared with PCR. For the controls, the sensitivity of the two former assays relative to PCR was only 15.3%. CONCLUSION: Women with a history of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis have more easily detectable Candida in their vagina, even when asymptomatic, than do other women. A relative inefficiency in regulating the proliferation of Candida in the vagina may increase susceptibility to periodic symptomatic recurrences.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Early diagnosis of candidiasis in non-neutropenic critically ill patients.

OBJECTIVE: To determine a method for the early diagnosis of candidiasis in non-neutropenic critically ill patients in order to reduce mortality. METHODS: A prospective study in non-neutropenic critically patients in whom Candida spp. were detected, was made in an intensive care unit (ICU) during an 8-year period from 3389 patients admitted. A diagnostic and therapeutic protocol was designed. Invasive candidiasis was defined according to dissemination and multifocality. RESULTS: Candida spp. were found in 145 cases (4.3%): 120 (83%) were considered as invasive candidiasis and 25 as colonisation (17%). The hospital mortality was 46% (67/145). A post-mortem study was carried out in 54% (36/67) of hospital deaths. Candida albicans was the most frequently isolated species (87%), followed by Candida glabrata (18%). There were 24 candidemias and three cases of endophtalmitis. Digestive and respiratory samples and non-C. albicans yeasts were risk factors for invasive candidiasis. The mortality rate was related statistically to invasive candidiasis and inversely to the appropriate antifungal treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Invasive candidiasis is related to digestive and respiratory samples and to the presence of non-C. albicans species. A simpler definition of invasive candidiasis in non-neutropenic critically ill patients will permit more rapid and accurate specific antifungal therapy.

Antifungal Agents↗
PubMed1994

Treatment of oropharyngeal candidiasis in HIV-positive patients.

Most HIV-positive patients develop some form of oral candidiasis, most commonly pseudomembranous candidiasis, erythematous candidiasis, or angular cheilitis, at some point in their disease. All these manifestations are important risk markers for disease progression. Oral candidiasis is generally caused by Candida albicans. Although oral candidiasis can occur at any stage of HIV infection, it is most common in patients with low CD4 counts. Numerous oral and systemic therapies are used to treat oral candidiasis, the most popular of which are nystatin (topical), clotrimazole (topical), ketoconazole (systemic), fluconazole (systemic), and itraconazole (systemic). The topical agents are available in assorted dosage forms with varying degrees of efficacy and patient acceptability. The limited data currently available suggest an advantage for the systemic agents, although problems with resistance may limit the usefulness of fluconazole. The efficacy, safety, and cost effectiveness of a given agent must be considered when prescribing a specific agent for the treatment of oral candidiasis.

Administration, Oral↗