Thrush is a yeast infection of the mouth caused by the fungus Candida albicans. The symptoms are white patches in the mouth, along the gums, on the inside of the cheeks, or on the tongue. Thrush is a common medical condition that also occurs in people who do not have HIV infection, most frequently in people using antibiotics or cortisone, and in diabetics. Thrush virtually never occurs without some underlying medical problem. It is also one of the infections people with HIV infection most frequently develop: about 80 percent of those with HIV infection have thrush at some time.

If thrush is associated only with HIV infection—that is, if thrush is not associated with diabetes, or with taking such drugs as antibiotics or corticosteroids—it indicates a high probability that the person will develop AIDS within the next two or three years. In fact, when thrush patches extend to the esophagus, the diagnosis of AIDS is considered established.

Thrush is easily treated with a variety of medicines and is generally controlled after one or two weeks of treatment. It does, however, tend to recur when the drugs are stopped, so these drugs are often given in prolonged courses, initially to control the infection and then to prevent its recurrence. If any one of the drugs for thrush fails, another drug will usually control the infection.

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