Curious If Any Moms Have Had Any Experience with Thrush

I've seen several cases of thrush . The Drs never said it was contgious & I've never seen passed on to another child, but it never hurts to take precautions. My son used to get it from being on too many antibiotics & Nystatin always made a noticable improvement in a day or two. It may depend on where the thrush originated, i.e. bottles/pacifiers not being sterilized, breastfeeding, antibiotics. I didn't look to see where you are from, but there is a 314-454-KIDS line that is linked to the St. Louis Children's hospital you can call and ask them ANYTHING. I've consulted with them regarding biting, Dyslexia, common meds questions, etc. They are very helpful!

As you know Thrush is a fungus, I would think that being on the antifungal for 24 hours would be enough to get it to the point that it is not contagious anymore but I am not sure. You all here on Mamasource probably get tired of hearing me say this but....."Talk to your pharmacist" :-)
I work in a pharmacy and I know how extremely well informed your average pharmacist is. Call and ask them your questions, they will have facts to back them up and they should be happy to share that with you. ( IF they aren't think about finding another pharmacy!!).
I know that I have heard the pharmacists tell customers to treat the thrush for several days after you think it is all gone because it "goes microscopic" and can return if you dont completely wipe it out.
R. Ann

Hi B.,

I don't believe thrush is contagious.Probiotics (acidophilus, etc) clears thrush right up in a couple days though. What it is is there isn't enough good bacteria in the gut to balance it all out so the bad bacteria runs rampant and causes an overgrowth of yeast in the body. Probiotics will balance it back and then some and if it is given on a daily basis, the thrush just won't come back.

Anyone with thrush has a systemic yeast/fungus problem that a conventional doctor cannot cure. Nystatin may control the outward symptoms (thrush is one) but it only keeps the yeast/fungus in check. AND, Nystatin can cause liver damage. Anyone on it should be having tests to make sure that damage is not occurring. This child should be taking probiotics to restore the good bacteria in his/her intestinal tract, which will help to keep the yeast in check, also. It is definitely possible to pass yeast/fungus to others. People who are intimate can pass it back and forth easily.

I have 6yo triplets. One of the 3 had this when she was little. My 3 did share everything. I did not boil toys or keep hers separate. My other 2 never got it.
Jen

I agree with Linda, in my experience it is very easy to pass thrush from person to person. Also, Nystatin doesn't work for all strains of thrush, it never helped us at all. My first had thrush for a long time while we were breastfeeding, and as someone said, if the baby is breastfeeding, she should be on something too. That being said, if you are not breastfeeding, your almost two year old should have the right bacteria in/on his body to make it no big deal. Usually thrush is only seen in little babies, especially breastfeeding babies (thrush really loves that mama's milk) and people with weakened immune systems. If you want to take precautions, get some acidopholis from a healthfood store (as my doc recommends) and give it to him, it's a chewable and my kids like the taste). The main reason I see to boil toys is to not re-infect the little girl (as if you're prone to yeast, you may get it again). Also, vinegar/water solution helps with yeast, so just wiping stuff down with that should help. I wouldn't worry too much about your son, though.

K.

My children both have had thrush. Two different pediatricians told me that it was not contagious. However the daycare center my son went to would not let him back until he had been on meds for 24 hours. Even though the Dr wrote a note stating it was not contagious they still made him stay out for 24 hours--VERY frustrating! The inhome childcare provider we go to now had no problem letting my daughter come back, she was also on Nystatin, and again the pediatrician wrote a Dr note explaining that it was not contagious. Hope this helps!

My son had thrush and no another child can not get it.
Candidiasis, commonly called yeast infection or thrush, is a fungal infection (mycosis) of any of the Candida species, of which Candida albicans is the most common.[1][2] Candidiasis encompasses infections that range from superficial, such as oral thrush and vaginitis, to systemic and potentially life-threatening diseases. Candida infections of the latter category are also referred to as candidemia and are usually confined to severely immunocompromised persons, such as cancer, transplant, and AIDS patients.

Superficial infections of skin and mucosal membranes by Candida causing local inflammation and discomfort are however common in many human populations.[2][3][4] While clearly attributable to the presence of the opportunistic pathogens of the genus Candida, candidiasis describes a number of different disease syndromes that often differ in their causes and outcomes.

Candida yeasts are commonly present in most people, but uncontrolled multiplication resulting in disease symptoms is kept in check by other naturally occurring microorganisms, e.g., bacteria co-existing with the yeasts in the same locations, and by the human immune system.
Antibiotic and steroid use are the most common reason for yeast overgrowth.[11] The former kills the bacteria which would otherwise help maintain Candida at safe levels, thus allowing the fungus to overgrow.

thrush is like a yeast infection. I don't think it is contagious but not sure either. My kids got it as babies but no one around them seemed to get it from them and the doctors didn't tell me to keep them away from any other kids.