ABSTRACT
In close to 300000 identifi ed species of fungi, fortunately only a limited number (150-200 species) are capable of causing infections in humans
(Richardson 1991). Fungi are microscopic elements encountered in the environment, in domestic installations, in food and in humans and are considered as normal inhabitants of skin, blood, the intestines and the mouth. Although a variety of yeast species normally live in the oral cavity, their presence does not in itself imply a diseased state, as the prevalence of asymptomatic yeast carriers in healthy individuals ranges from 3 to 48% (Arendorf and Walker 1980) and is even higher (45 to 65%) in healthy children (Odds 2010). The most commonly isolated yeast species in the oral cavity is C. albicans (Pankhurst 2006). While a median carrier rate of 38.1% was observed for C. albicans alone in community-dwelling outpatients (Odds 2010), a rate exceeding 70% has been reported in elderly hospitalized patients (Zomodian et al. 2011) and is even higher in HIVinfected individuals (MacPhail et al. 2002). Other members of the genus Candida found in the oral cavity are potential pathogens yet rarely cause disease (Saalwachter et al. 2006). Host factors such as reduced salivary fl ow rate, low salivary pH, increased salivary glucose concentration, prior use of antibiotics, smoking, the wearing of removable dentures and general health status are reportedly associated with increased carrier rates for oral cavity yeast (Kadir et al. 2002).
