Medical Questions » Fungal Infections Questions » Question No. 413
| Question: | What is thrush? I have heard that babies get it in their mouths. Is it the same as the thrush that i get down below? |
| Answer: | Thrush is a fungal infection that occurs in both the mouth and the vagina. The fungus Candida albicans is responsible for the infection in both sites.
The mouth infection (oral thrush) is quite common in infancy, particularly in bottle-fed babies, and may be triggered by a course of antibiotics that destroy the bacteria in the mouth that normally control the growth of excess fungi.
Vaginal thrush occurs for different reasons. Candida albicans lives in the gut, where it causes little or no trouble. When it comes out on to the skin around the anus, it dies off; but if that skin is warm, moist and irritated, it can grow and spread forward to the lips of the vagina (the vulva).
Oral thrush causes grey /white patches on the tongue, gums and inside of the cheeks that cannot be rubbed away with a fingertip or cotton bud. It may spread through the intestine and emerge to infect the skin around the anus, where it causes a bright red rash that is slightly paler towards the centre.
Vaginal thrush causes an unpleasant white vaginal discharge, intense itching of the vulva and surrounding skin, and often inflammation of the urine opening so that passing urine causes discomfort.
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