PREVALENCE OF CANDIDA SPECIES IN AIDS PATIENTS AND HIV-FREE SUBJECTS IN THAILAND

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of Candida spe cies among groups of HIV-infected and HIV-free subjects in Thailand an d to ascertain whether particular Candida species were associated with HIV infection. Oral rinse specimens were collected from 45 AIDS patie nts (CDC stage IV), 74 HIV-free healthy subjects, and 42 HIV-free pati ents who had clinical candidiasis. Yeasts recovered in culture were id entified and quantified. The mean ages of the cohorts were 30.75+/-8.1 9 years (AIDS group), 28.50+/-7.98 (HIV-free healthy group) and 41.83/-12.25 years (HIV-free candidiasis group). Yeasts were isolated from 30/45 (66.66%, range 6.6x10(2)-5.7x10(6) CFU/ml) of the AIDS group, 8/ 74 (10.81%, range 8.0x10(1)-3.5x10(4) CFU/ml) of the HIV-free healthy group, and 24/42 (57.14%, range 1.0x10(2)-1.1x10(5) CFU/ml) of the HIV -free candidiasis group. There were statistically significant differen ces in the Candida colony counts between the AIDS group without oral c andidiasis and the healthy group (P=0.0078) and between the AIDS group with candidiasis and the HIV-free, oral candidiasis group (P=0.0003). Candida albicans was the most common species recovered from AIDS pati ents (29 out of 30; 96.66%).