Candida isolation in HIV+/AIDS patients under highly active antiretroviral therapy

Objective: To determine the presence of Candida in a HIV+/AIDS population under highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in comparison with a non HIV+ immunodeficient population and an immunocompetent one. Methods: Three groups of people were studied. Group 1: 160 HIV+/AIDS patients (115 male, 45 female) under HAART for unless the previous six months. Group 2: 100 cancer patients (39 male, 61 female) under chemotherapy severely immunodepressed. Group 3: 100 dental students (48 male, 52 female). In all the patients, a sample of total oral mucosa was taken using a sterile swab, followed by seeding on Sabouraud-chloramphenicol medium. The culture was incubated at 37ºC for 24-28 hours. Candida spp identification was made by germinal tube production as well as chlamydial spore formation in corn extract agar to confirm the identification of C. albicans. The identfication of Candida species was made by API-ATB ID 32 C (BioMérieux) method. Data were analyzed by X2 test (p<0.05). Results: In HIV+/AIDS patients under HAART, Candida spp were isolated in the 5.9% of the cases, being Candida albicans involved in the 88 % of the positive cultures. In the cancer patients, 64% of the cultures were positive for Candida and Candida albicans was determined in the 80% of them. Only five positive cultures, all by Candida albicans, were determined for the dental student population. The isolation of Candida was statistically higher in the immunodepressed cancer patients. In this spanish populations the prevalence of Candidal oral carriers in the HIV+/AIDS population under HAART its very similar to prevalence of Candidal carriers in non-HIV+ healthy population.Conclusion: Its seems that HIV+/AIDS patients under HAART show a decrease of oral colonization by Candida spp.