# Causes of oral thrush? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 10, 2016, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-oral-thrush/765573 "2016-09-10T22:27:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-oral-thrush/765573/1 "2016-09-10T22:27:39Z")
I understand the fallacy of _post hoc_ reasoning. But here is the story. About ten days ago, my wife had a bowl of soup in a restaurant that was extremely spicy. As we left the restaurant, she remarked that her tongue was still sore from it. The next day she woke up with a sore tongue. Two days later her tongue turned white and she was diagnosed as having oral thrush and got a scrip for nystatin that she is still using. She is convinced that it was the soup. Our doctor says it cannot be. She has none of the usual things that seem to be associated with it. No diabetes, she has not taken any antibiotic any time recently, etc. Can anyone tell me if the soup was a possible cause. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-oral-thrush/765573/2 "2016-09-10T22:37:07Z")
I can’t imagine how a soup could cause a yeast infection. The only causes of oral thrush I’ve ever have heard of are: a. being an infant b. having AIDS [This website](http://www.healthline.com/health/thrush#Causes4) suggests that having leukemia or diabetes or using “certain” medications are other causes in adults. I’d want to know which medications because most of the causes are pretty terrible… ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-oral-thrush/765573/3 "2016-09-10T22:41:18Z")
More likely she was in the early stages of the thrush and that’s why her tongue hurt- it was already getting sensitive and the soup either irritated it or had no effect. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-oral-thrush/765573/4 "2016-09-10T23:02:52Z")
I understand the fallacy of _post hoc_ reasoning. But here is the story. About ten days ago, my wife had a bowl of soup in a restaurant that was extremely spicy. As we left the restaurant, she remarked that her tongue was still sore from it. The next day she woke up with a sore tongue. Two days later her tongue turned white and she was diagnosed as having oral thrush and got a scrip for nystatin that she is still using. She is convinced that it was the soup. Our doctor says it cannot be. She has none of the usual things that seem to be associated with it. No diabetes, she has not taken any antibiotic any time recently, etc. Can anyone tell me if the soup was a possible cause. ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-oral-thrush/765573/5 "2016-09-10T23:09:52Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > I’d want to know which medications because most of the causes are pretty terrible… Many antibiotics, corticosteroids, anti-rejection medication after transplants, and chemotherapy drugs are the most common culprits. The fungus that causes thrush lives in the mouth normally; anything that puts the balance out of whack/weakens the immune system will cause the fungus to grow out of control. I’ve had clients in the past who have had a mild yeast infection that transferred it to their mouths due to poor/lack of handwashing. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-oral-thrush/765573/6 "2016-09-10T23:22:58Z")
Reported as duplicate thread ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-oral-thrush/765573/7 "2016-09-10T23:58:32Z")
Doubt it, but then again I also doubt the diagnosis of thrush in an otherwise healthy person. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-oral-thrush/765573/8 "2016-09-11T00:15:35Z")
Sounds more like she already had it, in some low grade way, and the hot spicy soup aggravated it and proved the tipping point which lead to diagnosis. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-oral-thrush/765573/9 "2016-09-11T00:27:27Z")
Or the soup damaged her tongue enough for the thrush to take hold. Like getting a burn or a scrape on your arm might lead to a secondary infection in the skin. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-oral-thrush/765573/10 "2016-09-11T00:28:35Z")
Since she’s not on any antibiotics, was there anything with blue cheese that she ate that night? ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-oral-thrush/765573/11 "2016-09-11T01:38:42Z")
Totally anecdotal, but I once ate way too many sour candies as a teen. My tongue was sore for a day. A few days later, the entire surface of my tongue turned white and sloughed off, much like skin after a tattoo or sunburn. I wonder if that’s what happened here. It was kinda cool, it was spongy and full of holes where all the taste buds go. ---
**Author:** ![Yersenia\_Pestis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e495f1/32.png) [@Yersenia\_Pestis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yersenia_Pestis)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-oral-thrush/765573/12 "2016-09-11T02:21:14Z")
> [@bobkitty](#): > > Many antibiotics, corticosteroids, anti-rejection medication after transplants, and chemotherapy drugs are the most common culprits. The fungus that causes thrush lives in the mouth normally; anything that puts the balance out of whack/weakens the immune system will cause the fungus to grow out of control. > > I’ve had clients in the past who have had a mild yeast infection that transferred it to their mouths due to poor/lack of handwashing. +1 Fungi naturally reside within your normal oral flora, our immune system normally keeps it at fairly low levels. So oral fungal infection could be due to auto immune issues or even dry mouth ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-oral-thrush/765573/13 "2016-09-11T08:19:26Z")
For the past three summers, I’ve had a kind of white plaque covering my lower lip each time I take a swim in the sea. Salt water + very hot weather + UVs seem to trigger it. It gradually disappears all by itself within a couple of weeks. Your wife may be experiencing something similar but IANAD. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-oral-thrush/765573/14 "2016-09-11T11:23:19Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Can anyone tell me if the soup was a possible cause. Seems to me someone already has: > [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Our doctor says it cannot be. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-oral-thrush/765573/15 "2016-09-11T16:02:22Z")
You swallowed a nightingale? ---
**Author:** ![GythaOgg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@GythaOgg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GythaOgg)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-oral-thrush/765573/16 "2016-09-11T16:24:04Z")
Does your wife use an inhaler control medication for asthma? Those can cause thrush if the inhaler is not used properly or if the user does not rinse their mouth and spit thoroughly after using. There is no way that any particular foodstuff could cause thrush. It really just doesn’t work that way. Hope she feels better! ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-oral-thrush/765573/17 "2016-09-11T17:09:07Z")
I think IvoryTowerDenizen has the best explanation. None of the meds she takes–high blood pressure med, synthroid, a mild analgesic, seem to be associated. But she wants to blame it on the soup. I had it too and it was pretty spicy, but nothing special. I suspect she reacted to it badly because she had alread begun to have the infection. Thanks for all the replies. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-oral-thrush/765573/18 "2016-09-11T22:55:41Z")
Duplicate threads were merged together, so apologies for any confusion in the responses. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-oral-thrush/765573/19 "2016-09-12T00:37:50Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > You swallowed a nightingale? A bird in the gland is worth two in the whoosh…? ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-oral-thrush/765573/20 "2016-09-12T01:35:52Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > I can’t imagine how a soup could cause a yeast infection. > > The only causes of oral thrush I’ve ever have heard of are: > a. being an infant > b. having AIDS > > [This website](http://www.healthline.com/health/thrush#Causes4) suggests that having leukemia or diabetes or using “certain” medications are other causes in adults. I’d wnt to know which medications because most of the causes are pretty terrible… My WAG: she has a tendency to it anyway, and the aggravation of the soup might have triggered a flareup. I have a low-level case of sore tongue - and have had for something like 25 years - that was never formally diagnosed as thrush but responds well to the dissolvable lozenges. In my case, it’s quite probably due to the steroid inhalers I’ve used for decades. Mostly I ignore it, occasionally the tongue gets sore enough that I use them for a few days and it goes away. If I take oral steroids for whatever reason it can get worse as well. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/causes-of-oral-thrush/765573.md?page=2)