The development of oral candidiasis, or thrush, while on antiretroviral therapy may indicate treatment failure, according to a study in the February issue of AIDS Patient Care and STDs.

The appearance of the opportunistic infection may be particularly useful in gauging the development of drug resistance in resource-poor settings where CD4-cell measurements and HIV viral load tests are unavailable, according to the study.

Researchers in Mexico City studied more than 175 HIV-positive adults taking anti-HIV drugs and noted that nearly 30% of those not responding well to treatment developed thrush. The infection was seen in only about 4% of those responding to the anti-HIV medications.

"The presence of this opportunistic mycotic disease of the oral cavity could be indicative of progression of HIV infection and, probably, failure of HAART," concludes lead researcher Luis Alberto Gaitan-Cepeda.

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