title: Taste disorders in healthy "carriers" and "non-carriers" of Candida albicans and in patients with candidosis of the tongue.
abstract: Impairments in taste perception may be caused by a number of factors, including the presence of Candida albicans in the oral cavity. We attempted to establish whether the presence of Candida albicans on the tongue is a cause of taste disorders by studying taste disorders in patients with candidosis of the tongue and in healthy "carriers" and "non-carriers" of C. albicans. Taste disorders and their severity were objectively assessed by the filter-paper disk method in 18 patients with candidosis of the tongue and in 33 healthy "carriers" and 167 healthy "non-carriers" of C. albicans. The gustatory function was re-tested in 7 patients and 8 "carriers" after treatment with topical anti-mycotic medication to detect any improvement. Patients with candidosis of the tongue and "carriers" of C. albicans demonstrated significantly higher incidences (p<0.001) of taste disorders than did "non-carriers". The mean taste threshold of each of the four individual taste qualities was significantly higher in patients with candidosis than in "non-carriers". The average taste threshold was significantly higher in "carriers" than in "non-carriers". Post-treatment improvement or recovery from taste disorders was obtained in 5 out of 7 patients (71.4%) with candidosis and in 7 out of 8 "carriers" (87.5%) of C. albicans. This study clearly demonstrates that not only overt candidosis of the tongue but also commensal harboring of C. albicans is a cause of taste disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Sayuri
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sakashita
authors.forename: Kaoru
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takayama
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nishioka
authors.forename: Takuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Katoh
mesh_terms: D000287:Administration, Topical; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002180:Candidiasis, Oral / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D002353:Carrier State / Q000382:microbiology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D013649:Taste / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D013651:Taste Disorders / Q000382:microbiology*; D013652:Taste Threshold / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D014059:Tongue / Q000382:microbiology; D014060:Tongue Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents