thrush (infection)

thrush in medicine, infection caused by the fungus Candida albicans, manifested by white, slightly raised patches on the mucous membrane of the tongue, mouth, and throat. The mucous membrane beneath the patches is usually raw and bleeding. The overgrowth of this fungus results when the balance in the normal oral microbe population is disturbed by antibiotic therapy or disease. It occurs most frequently in infants, in adults suffering from chronic illnesses, in the debilitated, in the immunosuppressed, and in individuals on long-term antibiotic, corticosteroid, or antineoplastic therapy. It is often an early symptom of AIDS . Treatment is with antifungal drugs, such as nystatin.

thrush¹ / [unvoicedth]rəsh/ • n. a small or medium-sized songbird (Turdus and other genera), typically having a brown back, spotted breast, and loud song. The thrush family (subfamily Turdinae, family Muscicapidae) includes the chats, robins, bluebirds, blackbirds, nightingales, redstarts, and wheatears. thrush² • n. 1. infection of the mouth and throat, producing whitish patches, caused by a yeastlike fungus (genus Candida), esp. C. albicans Also called candidiasis. ∎  infection of the female genitals with the same fungus. 2. a chronic condition affecting the frog of a horse's foot, causing the accumulation of a dark, foul-smelling substance. Also called canker.

clotrimazole (kloh-trim-ă-zohl) n. an antifungal drug used to treat all types of fungal skin infections (including ringworm) and vaginal thrush. It is applied to the infected part as a cream or solution or as vaginal pessaries. Trade name:. Canesten.