Oral candidiasis: forerunner of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)?

A 42-year-old man who used intravenous drugs had oral candidiasis and weight loss. Careful examination led to a diagnosis of AIDS. The patient subsequently died of disseminated cryptococcosis, systemic candidiasis, and polymicrobial bacteremia. The circumstances and progression noted in this case led to the recommendation that an aggressive screening for AIDS should be performed on patients at high risk for this syndrome who present with oral Candida infection.