IDENTIFICATION OF CANDIDA-ALBICANS TYPES RELATED TO HEALTHY AND PATHOLOGICAL ORAL-MUCOSA

This study comprised 100 healthy dentate adults and 53 patients with e ither chronic erythematous oral candidosis or oral leukoplakic lesions . The presence of yeasts was determined by microscopical examination o f PAS-stained smears and by culture. Biopsy material was obtained from all lesions. The isolated yeasts were identified to species level. St rain phenotypes of 147 Candida albicans isolates were determined on th e basis of the ODDs & ABBOTT procedure (25, 26). Yeasts were found in the mouth of healthy dentate individuals both by culture and by smears . The identification of hyphae in healthy mucosa indicates that the pr esence of these structures is not an unequivocal sign of candidal infe ction. The results support the view that tobacco smoking may be a pred isposing factor for candidal infection. Also, the results have shown a n association between the occurrence of yeasts and the type of leukopl akic lesions. Finally, the strain differentiation has indicated an ora l mycoflora in patients with candidal lesions disappearing after antim ycotic treatment which was more homogeneous in composition than in pat ients with irreversible lesions; furthermore, certain strains may poss ess properties which may be important in the development of pathologic al conditions and premalignant changes.