Candida
| Candida | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||
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| Species | ||||||||||||
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Candida albicans Candida dubliniensis Candida glabrata Candida guilliermondii Candida kefyr Candida krusei Candida lusitaniae Candida parapsilosis Candida tropicalis |
Candida is a genus of yeasts, (the most important being Candida albicans) that can cause fungal infections (candidiasis) in humans and other animals. Candida grows in the medical laboratory as large, round, white or cream (albicans meaning 'whitish') colonies on agar plates.
Another Candida species is Candida dubliniensis which presents a problem in HIV positive patients receiving antifungal drugs.
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In Latin candidus, candida means clear and white, with the whiteness of pure quartz rather than the whiteness of chalk (albus). Candida was the name of the clear-thinking, outspoken and candid eponymous heroine of Shaw's 1895 play poking fun at well-meaning socialist reformers in the Church of England.
