Marcia,
Candida albicans is a single cell fungus and is ALWAYS present in the gastrointestinal tract and also in the genital tract.No one really knows what it does but If it grows out of control or gets out of balance then there is the problems --- it can cause a candida infection also known as candidiasis.
There is no test that can be used to test for Candida infections because there is some always present in your system. There is a stool culture that can be conducted in extreme cases but the symptoms can affect various parts of the body-- So you have to go by symptoms and there are many but every body is different and is affected differently and do not have all the symptoms -- thank goodness. The most common areas are the gastrointestinal tract, mouth, ears fingernails, toenails and vagina -- it can produce many as well as varied symptoms -- including constipation, diarrhea, colitis, abdomen pain, bad breath, memory loss, depression, heartburn, sore throat, nasal drainage, cough, burning tongue& mouth, clogged sinuses, fatigue, vaginitis, unusual amount of fatigue, achy joints, arthitis, excess activity, hypothyroidism, adrenal gland problems, kidney/bladder infections, PMS, prostate inflamation and glucose problems even diabetes.
Candida /yeast thrive on sugary foods. One of the best ways to control it is with an anti-candida diet.
It mutates very readily and sometimes is extremely difficult to get under control.
It only takes 5 days on an antibiotic for me to get some symptoms. Antibiotics is probably the biggest cause of yeast infections!!! But, alcohol, too much salty food and too much sugary food are big culprits.
Harry