FLUCONAZOLE IN THE TREATMENT OF OROPHARYNGEAL CANDIDOSIS IN HIV-POSITIVE PATIENTS

106 HIV-positive patients with 129 episodes of oropharyngeal Candida infection were treated with fluconazole (50-300 mg/d). Treatment lasted from 4 to 23 days. The majority of patients were in more advanced stages of HIV infection (82% AIDS cases). Therapy with fluconazole led to complete healing or improvement of clinical symptoms in 93% of all treatment courses. However, according to cultural findings, an elimination or recession of pathogens was achieved in only 70% of cases. Cultural monitoring showed a slow reduction of pathogens, as opposed to a fairly rapid clinical improvement. Candida albicans was the most frequently isolated Candida species (n = 128); the most selected Candida species during treatment were C. glabrata, C. krusei, and C. inconspicua. It is remarkable that C. glabrata, a low-grade pathogen, caused enanthema in 2 patients and a typical oral thrush in 1 patient. Fluconazole was well-tolerated, and apart from mild gastro-intestinal symptoms in 1 patient, no severe side effects were observed.