Prevalence and Antifungal Susceptibility of Candida albicans in Patna, India

With changes in the medical and surgical management of patients over the past three decades, fungi have emerged as a major cause of human disease. Of the disseminated mycoses, candidiasis remains the most prevalent, with Candida albicans causing more invasive infections than any other fungus (Elizabeth, 2009). Candidiasis or thrush is a fungal infection (mycosis) of any of the Candida species, of which C. albicans is the most common, also referred to as yeast infection. Candidiasis is also technically known as candidosis, moniliasis and oidiomycosis (William et al., 2006). Candida spp. are the most common cause of fungal infections leading to a range of lifethreatening invasive to non-life-threatening mucocutaneous diseases (Achkar and Fries, 2010). Candida infections can present in myriad ways. This dimorphic yeast is a commensal that colonizes skin, the gastrointestinal and the reproductive tracts. Consequently, they are also from the setting of candidiasis, albeit at a lower frequency. The pathogenesis and prognosis of candidial infections are affected by the host immune International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 5 Number 4 (2016) pp. 957-961 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com