DOI: 10.36347/sjds.2015.v02i01.006

Pages: 30-35

Abstract: Candida is a relatively common inhabitant of the oral cavity, skin, gastrointestinal tract and vagina of clinically normal individuals. So the mere presence of the fungus is not just sufficient to produce the disease. There must be actual penetration of the tissues, although such invasion is usually superficial and occurs only under certain circumstances. Oral health is of the individual is dependent on the integrity of the mucosa, which normally prevents the penetration of microorganisms as well as macromolecules that might be antigenic. Innate, humoral and cell-mediated immunity (CMI) are all involved in protection against C. albicans infections. This review article aims at the role of Candida in both health and disease conditions, which involves the immunity and the host defence mechanisms against Candida species, especially the Candida albicans.