Oral Candida carriage among HIV infected and non-infected individuals in Tikur Anbesa specialized hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract

Oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC) and oral Candida carriage are common

problem in HIV-infected populations. Early detection of oral carriage of

Candida species is important for identification of patients with the tendency for

rapid progression of HIV infection since oral carriage may influence the

development of clinically significant candidiasis in these immunocompromised

patients. This study investigated the prevalence and level of oral Candida

carriage rate among HIV-infected and non-infected individuals in TikurAnbessa

Teaching Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Oral rinse sample was collected

from 71 HIV infected and 50 HIV non infected individuals. Out of the total 121

study participants 85(70.2%) were females and 36(29.8%) were males with

male to female ratio of 0.4:1. It was found that 66(54.5%) of the study

participants were carriers of oral Candida species from which 49(74.3%) were

HIV positive. Oral Candida carriage rate among HIV infected participants was

49(69%) where as in HIV non infected participants it was 17(34%). Six Candida

species were identified; C. albicanswas the predominant Candida species

accounted for 53(80.3%), followed by C. parapsilosis 5(7.6%) and three samples

revealed with more than one Candida species. Mean colony density of Candida

in HIV positive and HIV negative study participants were 2,145.68+3395.12

CFU/ml and 684.71+1941.520 CFU/ml respectively. In conclusion, not only oral Candida carriage but also the

density of Candida colony was higher in HIV infected than non infectedpopulations. C. albicans was the

predominant species followed by C. parapsilosis.