Types of Candida Infections

Every year, fungal infections affect more than one billion people worldwide, with more than 1.6 million deaths.¹ Candida species are the most common cause of fungal infections with approximately 90% of infections caused by Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Candida krusei, Candida tropicalis, and Candida parapsilosis.² Among these five species, Candida albicans remains the most commonly isolated.² Candida is a yeast which is a specific type of fungus. Everyone has candida on their skin and in certain parts of the body such as the mouth, throat, vagina, and gastrointestinal system. Many species of candida do not normally cause health issues. However, symptoms and infections can result when candida grows out of control, and this is called candidiasis. Candidiasis is usually an opportunistic infection, meaning it takes advantage of a weakened immune system to grow out of control. But it can also occur in individuals with a competent immune system. Types of candida infections are listed below:

Mucosal candidiasis: Candidiasis of mucous membranes in the body are usually oropharyngeal, esophageal, or urogenital.³

• Urogenital candidiasis often includes vulvovaginitis and balanitis. Vulvovaginitis is a candidiasis of the vagina with symptoms such as vaginal itching or discharge. It is commonly associated with increased estrogen levels such as those taking oral contraceptives or pregnant women. Balanitis is a candidiasis of the tip of the penis. Symptoms include severe burning and itching, and the infection can spread to the buttock, scrotum, or thighs. It is often associated with poor hygiene.

Cutaneous and nail candidiasis: This includes chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis, intertrigo, and onychomycosis.²,³

• Chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis involves chronic inflammation of the skin, hands, scalp, and face. This is common in patients with an impaired immune system.
• Intertrigo is a type of candidiasis affecting skin folds such as the groin, armpits, or under the breast.

Systemic candidiasis: This is the most severe form of candidiasis and includes candidemia (presence of Candida in the blood) or visceral lesions (presence of Candida in organs). Systemic candidiasis is often due to contamination from outside sources (e.g surgical intervention) or the spread of Candida to the bloodstream from other sites of infection (e.g the digestive tract). This can in turn spread to other organs of the body. The organs most affected are the heart, eyes, liver, and kidneys.²

References

1. Bongomin F, Gago S, Oladele R, Denning D. Global and multi-national prevalence of fungal diseases-estimate precision. J Fungi (Basel) 2017; 3:57.
2. Candida infections: clinical features, diagnosis and treatment. www.idcmjournal.org. Accessed August 31, 2026. https://www.idcmjournal.org/candida-infections
3. Jose A V. Overview of candida infections. UpToDate. Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. Riverwoods, IL. Accessed August 31, 2026. https.//www.UpToDate.com/overview-of-candida-infections
4. Human tongue infected with oral candidiasis by James Heilman, MD, own work, CC by SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
5. Esophageal candidiasis by Samir, CC by SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
6. Onychomycosis of the toenails by James Heilman, MD, own work, CC by SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0