Frequency of Candida species isolated from the Oral Cavity of HIV-Infected Patients referring to Behavioral disease Counseling Center of Isfahan in 2017-2018

Background and Aim: patients infected with HIV are susceptible to opportunistic infections such as candidiasis. In normal individuals, Candida spp. exist as normal flora of the mucous membranes.  In this study we compared the frequencies of different species of Candida between HIV infected patients receiving anti-retroviral therapy (ART) and normal individuals. Materials and Methods: This case- control study included 60 HIV positive patients receiving antiviral therapy as our case group and 60 normal individuals as control group. Oral samples were prepared by two wet swabs and cultured on Sabouraud dextrose agar. Colonies grown on the culture medium were identified by phenotyping and molecular (PCR) methods at two different temperatures. Results: Candida species were isolated from the oral mucosa of 68.3% of HIV positive patients and 53.3% of normal individuals. Rate of colonization of oral cavity by candida showed no significant relationships with the variable parameters of TCD4+ (P = 0.12), viral load (P = 0.24), and duration of HIV infection (P = 0.92), but it had significant relationships with brushing (P <-0.001), smoking (P = 0.043) and drug abuse (P = 0.002). Conclusion: The result showed an increased shift of the yeast colonization  from C.albicans to non- albicans species in HIV-infected subjects. Considering the susceptibility of this group to opportunistic infections such as candidiasis, regular and periodic monitoring of these patients is necessary. Tooth brushing, discontinuation of cigarette smoking and drug abuse, together with oral hygiene are recommended.