Eli5: Why, despite having perfect conditions (wet, warm, shaded), fungal infections aren’t everyday problem inside our mouth?
In: Biology
Because you’re constantly swallowing your saliva, taking any fungal spores with it, sending it down to your stomach acid to destroy.
Your mouth isn’t like a stagnant pond, your salivary glands are constantly “refreshing”
You normally have bacteria in your mouth. That bacteria helps fight off infections. That’s why certain antibiotics have oral thrush as a side effect. The antibiotic kills off all the bacteria in your mouth, giving the thrush a chance to take over.
Not only does saliva have enzymes that are antimicrobial, it has antibiotic enzymes. It also has enzymes that break down carbs
The mouth is a crazy place. Have you ever noticed when you bite your lip and draw blood, it’s healed within a day? What other part of your body, when punctured to the point of bleeding, will do that?
Our mouths are like little battlegrounds for microbes, but our immune system and the balance of bacteria in there usually keep fungi in check. The moment something goes off-balance, like when people take antibiotics, fungi like Candida can start causing trouble.
Our mouths have a whole squad of bacteria and enzymes that keep things in check. It’s like having a mini SWAT team constantly patrolling! 🍄🚫👄 Plus, saliva is basically the body’s natural anti-fungal mouthwash.
Learned recently that that’s why much less cavities in the bottom middle teeth; saliva protects against bacterial plaque and obviously accumulates there more than any other place.
Saliva is a big one, but your immune system also plays a huge role. This is why infants with developing immune systems (and also advanced AIDS patients) can get nasty cases of Thrush (Candida albicans) infections in their mouths.
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