Candidiasis

Diagnosis and treatment

Diagnosis:
- Oropharyngeal candidiasis: typical clinical appearance
- Oesophagitis:

  • definitive diagnosis: evidence of disease at macroscopic inspection during endoscopy, OR histology of biopsy, OR cytology of specimen from the mucosal surface
  • presumptive diagnosis: recent onset of dysphagia AND oropharyngeal candidiasis

Notes on treatment:
see Drug-drug Interactions Between ARVs and Non-ARVs and Anti-infective/ART interaction table for all azole therapies

Oropharyngeal candidiasis

Drug / Dose Comments
fluconazole
150-200 mg qd po
Once or until improvement (5-7 days)
nystatin
3-6 lozenges at 400000 units (aprox. 4-6 mL of oral suspension)/day
7-14 days
OR
amphotericin B
oral suspension 1-2 g bid - qid 
7-14 days

Oesophagitis

Drug / Dose Comments
fluconazole
400 mg qd po
OR
400 mg loading dose, then 200 mg qd po

3 days

10-14 days
consider
posaconazole
400 mg bid po
OR
voriconazole
200 mg bid po
OR
caspofungin and other echinocandins
70 mg iv qd day 1, then 50 mg qd
In cases of refractory disease, treat according to resistance testing.
Adapt posaconazole and voriconazole dose according to MIC's of candida and drug trough levels