Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index Candida Scientific classification Kingdom: Fungi Phylum: Ascomycota Class: Ascomycetes Order: Saccharomycetales Family: Saccharomycetaceae Genus\: Candida Species   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. --- 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. This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.