Herpes

How can candida infection put you at higher risk for getting herpes?

Candida is a normal microorganism of the oropharyngeal (mouth and pharynx), gastrointestinal (gut) and urogenital tract and lives in these environments without causing any problem. Our immune system and our normal microbial flora work to keep the growth of candida in balance. There are a large number of mechanisms by which our immune system defends against candida; there are also an equally large number of mechanisms by which candida evades our immune system. When there is a disturbance in the body environment, candida wins the fight against our immune system, becomes invasive and starts growing fast and causes infection. The first thing that you need to remember is that if you already have candida infection, your immune system is already compromised.

Research published by Swedish researchers in 2005 showed that women who had chronic vaginal candida infection had higher levels of the stress hormone “cortisol” in their blood. According to these researchers the stress hormones can be either due to lifestyle issues or due to candida infection triggering stressed relationships. Chronic stress has been linked with impairment of immunity. Thus, not only can you get candida infection from having chronic stress, you can also get chronic stress from having candida. Either way, your immune system is not under optimal conditions and will make you susceptible to other infections like oral or genital herpes apart from other infections. Added to a lower immunity will be damage to the mucous membranes of oropharyngeal tract and vagina.

How can herpes infection put you at a higher risk for getting candida?

It is well known that herpes viruses affect our immune response. A study by Russian scientists in 1995 showed that viral infection (including that by HSV2) of the genitals reduces the immunity afforded to us by the immune cells. A cell study published in 2008 by researchers from Italy showed that HSV1 causes dysfunction of our immune response against fungi (the study involved Candida). Although the immune cells are more efficient in ingesting candida, they have a reduced capacity to kill them – this facilitates the survival and replication of candida. Although we must note that these were studies carried out in cells, it is quite possible that our bodies have a reduced capacity to fight fungal infections if we have HSV1 infection.

Another proposed mechanism for dual infection by HSV and candida is that injury is caused to the epithelium by HSV first that leads to the disruption of mucosal barrier which then allows candida invasion.