A prospective study on Candida as a gastric opportunistic germ.

Report of results from a study on the presence of Candida as a stomach opportunistic germ in 149 patients consecutively undergoing gastroscopy. Candida was isolated in 23 patients (15.4%). None of the following factors influenced the appearance of the fungus as an opportunist in the stomach: age, sex, smoking, alcohol intake, associated systemic diseases, concomitant gastroduodenal diseases or gastric histological findings. The only favoring factor revealed was that of cardiotonic treatment in 43.5% of the patients with a positive outcome, and in 15.1% of those with a negative outcome (p less than 0.01). Species isolated were Candida albicans in 15 patients (65.2%), Candida tropicalis, Candida pseudo-tropicalis and Candida glabrata in 2 patients each (8.7%), Candida krusei and Candida guillermondi in 1 patient each.