Candida albicans
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun A parasitic fungus that can infect the mouth, skin, intestines, or vagina. It is a yeast-like organism that is normally present in small amounts in the human body but can cause infection (candidiasis) when it overgrows.
Usage
Candida albicans is used as a singular noun to refer to the specific fungal species. It is a scientific/medical term. - The test confirmed the presence of Candida albicans. - An overgrowth of Candida albicans can lead to symptoms.
Examples
- Medical Diagnosis: "The culture identified the pathogen as ."
- General Information: " is the most common cause of yeast infections."
Advanced Usage
- The term is often used in microbiology and clinical contexts. It is typically italicized in scientific writing as it is a genus and species name.
- It can be referred to more generally as "Candida" in non-technical language, though this can refer to other species within the genus.
Variants and Related Words
- Candida (n): The genus name; often used informally to refer to or related species.
- Candidiasis (n): The medical term for an infection caused by fungi.
- Yeast infection (n): A common term for candidiasis, especially vaginal.
Synonyms
- Thrush agent (when referring to oral candidiasis).
- Monilia (an older, less specific synonym).
Notes
Candida albicans is not typically used in idioms or phrasal verbs due to its specific scientific nature.
Noun
- a parasitic fungus that can infect the mouth or the skin or the intestines or the vagina