Thrush is an infection with a yeastlike fungus known as Candida albicans. The infection usually occurs in moist parts of the body, for example in skin folds, the mouth, the respiratory tract, or the vagina. The medical name for this condition is candidiasis. The term thrush generally refers to infection of the mouth or vagina.
Candidiasis is the most common fungal infection in human beings, occurring throughout the world. It is mostly seen in infants or elderly people. It is quite common, too, in those whose immune systems have been suppressed, such as transplant recipients and people with AIDS.
Oral thrush is the most common form of candidiasis. It appears as sore white patches on the tongue and on the insides of the cheeks. Rarely, infection may spread throughout the body. Doctors treat thrush with antibiotics.
See also Fungal disease .
