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Thrush

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Illustrations

Candida, flourescent stain
Candida, flourescent stain
Mouth anatomy
Mouth anatomy

Alternative names    Return to top

Candidiasis - oral; Oral thrush

Definition    Return to top

Oral thrush is a yeast infection of the mucous membranes of the mouth and tongue.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors    Return to top

Thrush is caused by a fungus called Candida albicans. This organism lives in your mouth and is usually kept in check by healthy organisms that also live there. However, when your resistance to infection is low, the fungus can grow, leading to lesions in your mouth and on your tongue.

The following can lessen your resistance to infection and increase your chances of getting thrush:

Thrush is commonly seen in infants. It is not considered abnormal in infants unless it lasts longer than a couple weeks.

Candida albicans can also cause yeast infections in the vagina.

Symptoms    Return to top

Thrush appears as whitish, velvety plaques in the mouth and on the tongue. Underneath the whitish material, there is red tissue that may bleed. The lesions can slowly increase in number and size.

If you are immunocompromised (for example, you are HIV positive or receiving chemotherapy), the infection can spread to other organs, like the esophagus (causing pain with swallowing), or throughout your body, which can be fatal.

Signs and tests    Return to top

Your doctor or dentist can almost always diagnose thrush by looking at your mouth and tongue. These fungal lesions have a distinct appearance. If not entirely clear, one of the following tests may be performed to look for the candida organisms:

Treatment    Return to top

For thrush in infants, treatment is often NOT necessary. It generally resolves on its own within two weeks.

There are two goals when treating oral thrush in adults. The first is to improve your immune system's ability to function. For example, in diabetics, good control of the diabetes may be enough to clear the infection without other treatment.

The second is to directly treat the infection. For this purpose, your doctor may prescribe an antifungal mouthwash or lozenges to suck on. These are usually used for 5-10 days. If they don't work, other medication may be prescribed.

If the infection has spread throughout your body or you have HIV/AIDS, stronger medications may be used like ketoconazole or fluconazole.

Expectations (prognosis)    Return to top

Thrush in infants may be painful, but is rarely serious. Because of discomfort, it can interfere with eating. If it does not resolve on its own within 2 weeks, call your pediatrician.

In adults, oral candidiasis can be cured. However, the long-term outlook is dependent on your immune status and the cause of the immune deficit.

Complications    Return to top

The candida organism can spread throughout your body, causing infection in your esophagus (esophagitis), brain (meningitis), heart (endocarditis), joints (arthritis), or eyes (endophthalmitis).

Calling your health care provider    Return to top

Call your doctor if:

Prevention    Return to top

If you have frequent outbreaks of thrush, your doctor may recommend taking antifungal medication on a regular basis to avoid recurrent infections.

If an infant with thrush is breast-feeding, talk to your doctor about ways to prevent future infections, such as an antifungal medication. Sterilize or discard any pacifiers. For bottle-fed babies with thrush, discard the nipples and buy new ones as the baby's mouth begins to clear.

To prevent spread of HIV infection, follow safe sex practices and universal precautions when working with blood products.

Update Date: 11/18/2003

Updated by: D. Scott Smith, MD, MSc, DTM&H, Infectious Diseases Division and Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University Medical School, Stanford, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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