Thursday, February 21, 2013

Discriminating Fungi Choose Sjoggies

Image of Candida albicans culture found here. See why it's called "albicans", which means "white"? 

Thrush, or oral Candida infections, in the mouths of people with Sjogren's syndrome are unfortunately common. A recent study in Peking sought to learn more about the infecting agents that cause thrush, specifically if sjoggies mouths have a different species of Candida than non-dry-mouth people.

Here's the study objective:
To compare the quantity of the main important Candida species in the oral cavity between the patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) and no dry mouth healthy controls, and to explore the discriminative species of fungi between the two groups.
The results:
Candida albicans was the dominant Candida in both of the groups. Candida tropicalis and Candida parapsilosis were more detected in the pSS group.
Interesting. It appears that a dry mouth and it's altered oral environment will be host to a different mix of organisms that reside there.

You can read more about Candidiasis here. Take a look at the Sjogren's Syndrome Foundation Patient Education sheet entitled: Oral Candidiasis (Thrush) in Sjogren's.

Have you had issues with Candidiasis -- or thrush?

4 comments:

cargillwitch said...

timely! I have been battling thrush again this week- after abating for about 6 weeks. It also extends back down my throat and is exceeding uncomfortable. I cut out ANY source of food for the nasties( read fruit, carb, refined sugar) and gargle frequently with a lovely mix my doctor gave me.I have to be very careful with eating- my whole mouth feels sore and ragged- anything with a sharp edge kills. Ohhh the joys!

stephanie said...

I had it a few times, and my FAB GB prescribed oral Nystatin right away, and it takes care of the problem in a few days. I swear by oral (mouth wash like) Nystatin for this problem.

Anonymous said...

Since I didn't have insurance due to this existing condition, I had to rely on good old brushing and hydrogen peroxide. Not once has my doctor even looked at my tongue longer than he had too. You have to almost see a specialist for that. You girls with good insurance don't know how lucky you are!
I call it nursing home tongue. When I'm curious about my health, I stick it out and look in the mirror. The hairier it is, the worse my internal health. It's like my weather gauge.

Beth said...

I'm dealing with it this week also, really miserable. I have some magic mouthwash that helps. This started last November and this is the 4th occurrence. My throat hurts to talk, to swallow, and especially to eat. I also have a anti fungal RX table that my Rhumatologist has prescribed for me. I'm worried that this is going to become chronic, in fact I think it already has! For some reason my insurance does not cover the mouthwash but the pharmacy "only" charges 35.00 for it, worth every penny! It numbs everything :)

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