Relationship between the quantity of oral Candida and immunological vigor

Abstract Objective Oral Candida asymptomatically colonizes approximately 35–80% of individuals in a population at any given time. It is speculated that increases in oral Candida may be closely related to host immunity. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine whether a relationship exists between the number of oral Candida colonies and immunological status of the host. Materials and methods We analyzed 32 subjects and their immunity was assessed and scored using the “Scoring of Immunological Vigor (SIV)”. Amount of oral candida was detected by culture of concentrated oral rinse solutions. The relationship between SIV and the count of oral Candida was investigated. Results Oral Candida was detected in cultures of samples from all subjects. The median number of Candida colonies was 6.5 CFU (IQR: 28.5 CFU, range: 1–3480 CFU). There was a significant correlation between the count of oral Candida and the grade of SIV. The amount of oral candida was higher in the lower immunological status of the host. Significant correlations were also found between the amount of Candida and the number of T cells, naive T cells, and Natural Killer (NK) cells. Conclusions The results of this study suggested that the detection of oral Candida may be a possible marker for determining immunological vigor of the host.