Objective: To identify and quantify Candida spp in the saliva of leukemic children.
Method: A sterile swab was rubbed on the otherwise healthy tongue mucosa of 32 children aged 1 to 11 years of age from IPPMG (UFRJ- Brazil). Identification of Candida species was undertaken by staining of presumptive colonies revealed in the culture medium CHROMagar and for identification, of Candida biochemical tests of fermentation and assimilation of sugars were performed (API 20C system). To provide the quantification of Candida species it was classified according to the number of colony forming units (cfu): weak (< 10 colonies), moderate (between 11 and 50 colonies), strong (> 51 colonies).
Results: Mean age of the children was 5.4 years of age; 53% were female (17/32), 90,6% (29/ 32) had acute lymphoblastic leukemia. All of them were under chemotherapy and had some degree of immunosuppression. 71.8% (23/32) reported or have had oral manifestation including: ulcers (28.1%), mucositis (59.3%), recurrent herpes (6.25%), candidiasis(18.75%), gengival beeding(9.37%), periodontal disease (3.1%) and dental caries (46.8%). Candida spp was isolated in 53.1%(17/ 32) of the sample. In seven children it was possible to indentify more than one specie of Candida spp. According to the cfu, 7 samples were weak, 3 were moderate, and 8 were strong. C. albicans was detected in12/17, C. parapsilosis in 2/ 17; C. famata in 4/17; C. guilliermondii in 4/17 and C.tropicalis in 2/ 17. Conclusion: The children with Leukemia have a high prevalence of Candida spp. specially by the specie c. albicans and it is probably associated with the degree of immunosuppression.