[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Microbiology](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/) › [Yeasts and yeast-like fungi](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/groups/yeasts-and-yeast-like-fungi/) › Candida albicans [Microbiology](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/) · [Yeasts and yeast-like fungi](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/groups/yeasts-and-yeast-like-fungi/) # Candida albicans - Fungus - Exam priority: high A yeast living in the mouth, gut and vagina; causes thrush, vaginitis and hospital bloodstream infection. Its relative C. auris is multidrug resistant. Updated 2026-11-01 Also called: Candida, candidiasis, thrush, Candida auris (Candidozyma auris) ## Key points - A positive germ tube identifies C. albicans - White plaques that scrape off (unlike leukoplakia, which does not) - Candidemia: blood culture, remove the catheter and look for endophthalmitis - Echinocandin first in candidemia in the seriously ill adult - C. auris: multidrug resistant, persists on surfaces, misidentified; contact precautions - Candida esophagitis in advanced HIV is AIDS-defining ## At a glance **Shape** Oval budding cells; pseudohyphae in chains **Family** Debaryomycetaceae (Saccharomycetales) **Type** Yeast that also forms pseudohyphae and true hyphae **Stain** KOH or Gram: yeasts with pseudohyphae (Gram positive); PAS and silver (GMS) in tissue **Size** Yeasts of about 4–6 µm ## Morphology - Oval yeast that divides by budding - Forms pseudohyphae (elongated buds that stay attached) and true hyphae - Positive germ tube test: in serum at 37 °C it forms a tube with no constriction at its base - White creamy colonies on Sabouraud agar ## Transmission - Almost always endogenous: part of the person's own flora of mouth, gut, skin and vagina - Reaches the blood through central venous catheters, abdominal surgery or damaged mucosa - C. auris spreads in hospitals on hands and contaminated surfaces (bedrails, blood pressure cuffs) and from colonised patients **Reservoir:** Human mucosa and skin; For C. auris: colonised skin (armpits, groin) and the patient's surroundings ### Isolation precautions What the care team adds to standard precautions. - Standard ## Virulence factors - Switch from yeast to hypha, which lets it penetrate epithelium - Adhesins that bind it to cells and plastics - Biofilm on catheters, which shields it from antifungals and host defences - Enzymes (aspartyl proteases, phospholipases) that damage tissue ## Diseases it causes - Vulvovaginal candidiasis: thick white discharge and itching; more common after antibiotics, in pregnancy and with poorly controlled diabetes [Vulvovaginal candidiasis →](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/vulvovaginal-candidiasis/) - Oropharyngeal candidiasis (thrush): white plaques that scrape off; in infants, inhaled corticosteroid users and HIV - Invasive candidiasis and candidemia: fever in a hospitalised patient with a catheter; can seed the eye, heart and bone [Candidiasis: oral, oesophageal and invasive →](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/candidiasis-oral-oesophageal-and-invasive/) ## Clinical picture - Candida esophagitis: painful swallowing; in advanced HIV it is an AIDS-defining illness - Intertrigo and diaper candidiasis: red plaques with satellite lesions - Endophthalmitis in candidemia: looked for with a fundus exam ## Diagnosis - KOH mount: yeasts with pseudohyphae - Blood culture: the main method for candidemia - Species identification (MALDI-TOF) and susceptibility testing guide treatment - Serum beta-D-glucan supports the diagnosis but is not specific - C. auris is often misidentified as C. haemulonii by automated systems: confirm with MALDI-TOF or molecular methods ## Treatment Mucosal disease: topical or oral azoles (clotrimazole, fluconazole) or nystatin. Candidemia: echinocandins (caspofungin, micafungin) first, stepping down to fluconazole if the strain is susceptible; amphotericin B as an alternative. C. glabrata and C. krusei respond less to fluconazole, and C. auris can resist all three classes. Drug class only; doses and regimens are set by the clinician from the current guideline. In Pharmacology: - [Fluconazole](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/fluconazole/) - [Nystatin](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/nystatin/) - [Clotrimazole](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/clotrimazole/) - [Caspofungin](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/caspofungin/) - [Micafungin](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/micafungin/) - [Amphotericin B](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/amphotericin-b/) ## Prevention - Care and early removal of central lines - Prudent use of antibiotics and antifungals - Hand hygiene and cleaning with disinfectants effective against C. auris (for example, chlorine-based) - For C. auris: contact precautions, a single room and skin-swab screening of contacts ## In Colombia Colombia had some of the first large C. auris outbreaks in the Americas from 2016; the INS issued a national alert, made reporting mandatory and confirms isolates. Between 2018 and 2022 the INS received more than a thousand invasive isolates, mostly from Bogotá, Bolívar and Atlántico. ## Memory aid Candida is a quick-change artist: a round yeast that slips into a long hyphal coat when it wants to invade, then hides inside the catheter biofilm. ## Test yourself Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it. ## Which simple test tells Candida albicans apart from other Candida species? The germ tube test: in serum at 37 °C C. albicans forms a tube within a few hours. ## Which antifungal class is first choice for candidemia in a seriously ill adult? The echinocandins (caspofungin, micafungin, anidulafungin). ## Which isolation precautions does a patient with Candida auris need? Contact precautions on top of standard ones, with strict environmental cleaning, because it spreads on hands and surfaces. ## Why did Colombian labs at first fail to recognise Candida auris? Automated systems identified it as C. haemulonii; MALDI-TOF or molecular methods are needed. [Add to my cards (4)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/microbiology/candida-albicans/) ## Related - [Cryptococcus neoformans](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/cryptococcus-neoformans/) - [Aspergillus fumigatus](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/aspergillus-fumigatus/) ## Related conditions - [Vulvovaginal candidiasis](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/vulvovaginal-candidiasis/) - [Candidiasis: oral, oesophageal and invasive](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/candidiasis-oral-oesophageal-and-invasive/) ## What the colours mean **Gram-positive** Thick peptidoglycan wall: stains purple. **Gram-negative** Thin wall with an outer membrane: stains pink. **Acid-fast** Lipid-rich wall (mycobacteria): Ziehl–Neelsen stain. [← Back to the group: Yeasts and yeast-like fungi](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/groups/yeasts-and-yeast-like-fungi/) Educational content on microorganisms; not a treatment guide and no substitute for a health professional's advice. No doses are given. Sources: [Candidiasis Basics](https://www.cdc.gov/candidiasis/about/index.html) (CDC, 2024); [Clinical Overview of Invasive Candidiasis](https://www.cdc.gov/candidiasis/hcp/clinical-overview/index.html) (CDC, 2024); [Notes from the Field: Surveillance for Candida auris — Colombia, September 2016–May 2017](https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/mm6715a6.htm) (CDC, 2018); [Infección por Candida auris afecta principalmente a población hospitalaria con condiciones especiales de salud](https://www.ins.gov.co/Noticias/Paginas/Infección-Candida-auris-afecta-principalmente-población-hospitalaria-condiciones-especiales-salud.aspx) (Instituto Nacional de Salud (INS) Colombia, 2023). ## **Spotted a mistake?** We are always improving for the community. Tell us what is wrong and our team will review it. Report a mistake Representative model, for educational purposes only. --- Source: https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/candida-albicans/ License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/candida-albicans/