Colony morphologies, species, and biotypes of yeasts from thrush and denture stomatitis

Epidemiological factors associated with Candida albicans in patients using complete denture: a scoping review

Objective: This study undertakes a scoping review of research on epidemiological factors of Candida albicans in patients using complete denture (CD). Methods: PubMed, LILACS, Embase, SciELO, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were used. Searches were conducted in December 2020. Keywords used in this search were Candida albicans, Complete Denture, Mouth, and Microbiology. Results: Initially, 89 articles were identified; 19 of these comprised the final sample after applying the exclusion/inclusion criteria. There was a greater tendency for females to use DC. In addition, among all samples evaluating the incidence of the fungus (n = 2,724), approximately 44.7% (n = 1,218) had C. albicans-associated prosthetic stomatitis. Conclusion: Prosthetic stomatitis is a condition that mainly affects women aged 50–70 years and has a multifactorial predisposition. Also, Newton's classification proposed in 1962 is the most used for the clinical diagnosis of oral candidiasis. The CD's hygiene status is a crucial factor for the progression of candidosis, in the same way that the C. albicans fungus plays an important role in the progression of this pathogenesis in the host.

Transcription Factors Efg1 and Bcr1 Regulate Biofilm Formation and Virulence during Candida albicans-Associated Denture Stomatitis

Denture stomatitis (DS) is characterized by inflammation of the oral mucosa in direct contact with dentures and affects a significant number of otherwise healthy denture wearers. The disease is caused by Candida albicans, which readily colonizes and form biofilms on denture materials. While evidence for biofilms on abiotic and biotic surfaces initiating Candida infections is accumulating, a role for biofilms in DS remains unclear. Using an established model of DS in immunocompetent animals, the purpose of this study was to determine the role of biofilm formation in mucosal damage during pathogenesis using C. albicans or mutants defective in morphogenesis (efg1^-/-) or biofilm formation (bcr1^-/-). For in vivo analyses, rats fitted with custom dentures, consisting of fixed and removable parts, were inoculated with wild-type C. albicans, mutants or reconstituted strains and monitored weekly for fungal burden (denture and palate), body weight and tissue damage (LDH) for up to 8 weeks. C. albicans wild-type and reconstituted mutants formed biofilms on dentures and palatal tissues under in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo conditions as indicated by microscopy demonstrating robust biofilm architecture and extracellular matrix (ECM). In contrast, both efg1^-/- and bcr1^-/- mutants exhibited poor biofilm growth with little to no ECM. In addition, quantification of fungal burden showed reduced colonization throughout the infection period on dentures and palates of rats inoculated with efg1^-/-, but not bcr1^-/-, compared to controls. Finally, rats inoculated with efg1^-/- and bcr1^-/- mutants had minimal palatal tissue damage/weight loss while those inoculated with wild-type or reconstituted mutants showed evidence of tissue damage and exhibited stunted weight gain. These data suggest that biofilm formation is associated with tissue damage during DS and that Efg1 and Bcr1, both central regulators of virulence in C. albicans, have pivotal roles in pathogenesis of DS.