Candida Albicans Microbe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Candida Albicans Microbe - Essay Example In smears of exudates, Candida appears as a gram-positive, oval budding yeast, 2-3 x 4-6 micrometer, gram-positive, elongated budding cells in chains, or true hyphae. On Sabouraud’s agar incubated at room temperature, soft, cream-colored colonies with a yeasty odor develop. The surface growth consists of oval budding cells. The submerged growth consists of pseudo mycelium. This is composed of pseudohyphae that form blastoconidia at the nodes and sometimes chlamydoconidia terminally. Among the principal predisposing factors to Candida infection are the following: diabetes mellitus, general debility, immunodeficiency, indwelling urinary or intravenous catheters, intravenous opioid abuse, administration of antimicrobials, and corticosteroids. Infection of the mouth (thrush) occurs mainly in infants and in AIDS patients on the Buccal mucous membranes and appears as white adherent patches consisting largely of pseudo mycelium and desquamated epithelium, with the only minimal erosion of the membrane. The growth of Candida in the mouth is enhanced by corticosteroids, antibiotics, high levels of glucose, and immunodeficiency (Drew e.a. 2004, p. 235). Vulvovaginitis resembles thrush but produces irritation, intense itching, and discharge. Loss of an acid pH in the vagina predisposes to candidal vulvovaginitis. Acid pH is normally maintained by the bacterial flora in the vagina. Diabetes, pregnancy, progesterone, and antibiotic therapy predispose to disease (Ponikau e.a., 2005, p. 128). Infection of the skin occurs principally in moist, warm parts of the body, such as the axilla, intergluteal folds, groin, or inframammary folds; it is most common in obese and diabetic individuals. The infected areas become red and weeping and may develop vesicles.