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Thrush

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Definition:

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

Alternative Names:

Candidiasis - oral; Oral thrush

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

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:

• Taking antibiotics or steroid medications
• Having HIV infection  or AIDS
• Receiving chemotherapy  for cancer or drugs to suppress your immune system following an organ transplant
• Being very old or very young
• Being in poor health
• Having diabetes

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

Candida albicans can also cause yeast infections in the vagina.

References:

Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Textbook of Medicine . 22 ^nd Ed. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders; 2004.

Marx JA, Hockberger RS, Walls RM, eds. Rosen’s Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 5 ^th Ed. St. Louis, MO: Mosby; 2002.

Mandell GL, Bennett JE, Dolin R, eds. Principles of Infectious Diseases . 5 ^th Ed. New York, NY: Churchill Livingstone, 2000.

• Review Date: 10/27/2005
• Reviewed By: Angelique Green, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor, UCSF School of Medicine, Director of Urgent Care Center, San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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