How to Prevent Candidiasis

Candidiasis is an infection of any yeast of the Candida genus. It frequently affects the mouth and throat and this form is commonly known as thrush. Candida may be found in up to 50 percent of the population and Candida albicans is responsible for 70 to 80 percent of these cases. It is an opportunistic infection that usually affects individuals with compromised immune systems.

Instructions

• 1

  Introduce highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) to the treatment plan of AIDS patients. HAART has been shown to be solely responsible for a dramatic reduction of all opportunistic infections, including thrush.

• 2

  Provide preventative measures against thrush with the azole class of antifungal agents for HIV-infected patients. This long-term therapy is effective but also is ideal for creating antibiotic resistant strains of Candida after several years of therapy.

• 3

  Treat relapses of thrush with antifungal agents rather than providing continuous treatment for AIDS patients. Thrush has a low mortality rate and good response to standard therapy. However, the antifungal resistance induced by prolonged therapy usually means that periodic treatment will become more common until it is nearly continuous.

• 4

  Administer fluconazole as a prophylactic measure one day before neutropenia for bone marrow transplants, especially those with allogenic transplants. Solid organ donors are also good candidates for antifungal prophylaxis. Micafungin is an acceptable alternative to fluconazole.

• 5

  Control the blood glucose levels of diabetes patients to eliminate risk factors for candidiasis through the use of cyclosporine, steroids and tacrolimus.