Candida Albicans Colonization and Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Relation to Clinicopathological Characteristics

Abstract

Background: In the gut mycobiota, Candida species, particularly Candida albicans (C.albicans) exist as commensals that support intestinal homeostasis. However, disturbances in fungal communities have been linked to inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) by influencing immune pathways. Objective: We aimed to quantitively detect C.albicans in stool of ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) patients in comparison to healthy controls and correlate its abundance to the severity of colitis in those patients, to explore potential contribution of C.albicans and dysbiosis to the pathogenesis and severity of IBD. Methodology: A total of 60 IBD patients (30 with UC and 30 with CD) along with 30 healthy participants were included in the study. IBD diagnosis was established through a combination of clinical presentations, laboratory findings, endoscopic evaluation, and imaging studies. The levels of C. albicans were quantified in stool samples from all participants using real-time PCR. Results: C.albicans was significantly abundant in IBD patients as opposed to controls (p 0.006). A significant positive association between C. albicans in UC patients and their Mayo score was observed (p =0.003). In CD patients, C. albicans was significantly higher in active CD than those in remission (p=0.001). In CD patients, a strong positive correlation was detected between C. albicans abundance and CDAI (p<0.001). Conclusions: Notable differences in C. albicans levels were observed between IBD patients and control group. Elevated C. albicans are strongly linked to IBD activity and severity, underscoring its potential contribution in the inflammatory pathogenesis of IBD and positioning it as a target for therapeutic interventions.