What is candidiasis?
Candidiasis is an infection by Candida yeast. Because yeast is a type of fungus, candidiasis is a fungal infection, but it's usually referred to as a yeast infection. Candida yeast usually live on your body in small amounts without causing symptoms. But sometimes an overgrowth or infection can happen.
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Yeast infections usually happen on the surface of your body, including your skin, mouth, or vagina
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Sometimes people with a weak immune system get yeast infections of their internal organs (systemic candidiasis), which can be life-threatening
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A yeast infection may cause redness, rash, itching, swelling, or creamy white patches
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Some diaper rashes are caused by yeast infection
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Doctors treat yeast infections with creams or medicines taken by mouth
What causes a yeast infection?
A yeast infection is caused by Candida yeast, a fungus that usually lives on your body in small amounts. In small amounts, you don't notice it. If the yeast grows too much, you get a rash.
Some causes of too much yeast growth include:
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Wearing tight underwear, bras, or other clothing that holds sweat close to your body
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Keeping babies in wet or dirty diapers too long
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Having diabetes
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Having a weak immune system because of disorders such as HIV infection or cancer
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Taking antibiotics
Yeast likes to live in dark, moist areas of your body. So yeast infections are more common in these areas:
What are the symptoms of a yeast infection?
Symptoms depend on where the yeast infection is:
Creamy white patches are seen inside the mouth and may bleed when scraped off. This finding is typical of thrush, which is caused by infection with Candida.
Angular cheilitis (sometimes called perlèche) is here caused by Candida infection at the corners of the mouth.
Nail infections caused by Candida can affect the nail plate (onychomycosis—seen at the bottom of the nail), the edges of the nail (paronychia), or both.
This photo shows a rash caused by the yeast Candida.
This photo shows swelling and redness of the vagina and a white discharge caused by a yeast infection.
How do doctors tell if I have a yeast infection?
How do doctors treat yeast infections?
Treatment depends on where the yeast infection is.
For infections on your skin, doctors will have you:
For a yeast infection in your vagina, doctors will have you:
For thrush in adults, doctors will have you:
For thrush in babies, doctors will have you apply a liquid antifungal medicine to the inside of your baby’s mouth.
