# Spit test for Yeast Infection? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 26, 2005, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spit-test-for-yeast-infection/301197 "2005-04-26T17:41:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![hauss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5fc32e/32.png) [@hauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hauss)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spit-test-for-yeast-infection/301197/1 "2005-04-26T17:41:37Z")
Is this test legitimate? Give me the low-down on this test please. If it is legit, then there is an ecological disaster in my gut!! 2 minutes and there were huge strings dropping down… 8 minutes and there was a large collection of cloudy mass in the bottom of the glass. ---
**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:** [April 26, 2005, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spit-test-for-yeast-infection/301197/2 "2005-04-26T18:11:04Z")
Never heard of it…can you describe what you’re talking about? ---
**Author:** ![hauss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5fc32e/32.png) [@hauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hauss)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spit-test-for-yeast-infection/301197/3 "2005-04-26T18:44:30Z")
> **[Yeast Infection Questionnaire and Home Testing](https://www.yeastinfectionadvisor.com/yeastinfectionquestionnaire.html)** > > Do you have a yeast infection? Take our online yeast infection questionnaire with a simple home test to find out. Proven treatment available also.. Search the page for “spit test”. Btw, Quackwatch has some articles pending on it. Also, Candida is the name of the yeast. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spit-test-for-yeast-infection/301197/4 "2005-04-26T19:02:58Z")
First of all, Candida is a very common organism in the oral cavity, where it causes no symptoms or disease in the vast majority of people. If you analyzed “spit” in completely healthy people, it would not be surprising to find Candida. The linked survey is cited by Quackwatch as having no validity (check out [this link](http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Naturopathy/naturopathy.html) - you’ll need to scroll down aways). It makes little to no sense to me either. The questions are very non-specific and answers do not supply a reliable guide to whether one has a Candida infection. The idea of systemic Candidiasis causing a whole host of illnesses is a leading quack theory which lacks scientific validity. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Stilettos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/fbc32d/32.png) [@Red\_Stilettos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Stilettos)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spit-test-for-yeast-infection/301197/5 "2005-04-26T21:03:43Z")
I agree with **Jackmanii**. This test is going to err much more to the positive side than the negative. This test _might_ be helpful for an oral candidiasis, but nothing else. My guess is it’s a way to scare people into seeking the “[yeastinfectionadvisor.com](http://yeastinfectionadvisor.com)’s” advice. If you’re worried, go see a doctor. Yeast infections are easy to diagnose, but can be difficult to treat. Don’t let it get out of hand. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spit-test-for-yeast-infection/301197/6 "2005-04-26T21:43:19Z")
Here’s another [Quackwatch link](http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/candida.html) which focuses specifically on the Candidiasis craze. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spit-test-for-yeast-infection/301197/7 "2005-04-26T23:13:16Z")
This quacks like a duck…and I don’t hear an echo. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2005, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spit-test-for-yeast-infection/301197/8 "2005-04-27T03:12:04Z")
I just wanted to add that yeast spores are likely to be floating around in the air around you right now. That’s why you can make “sour dough starter” in your kitchen without adding yeast. ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2005, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spit-test-for-yeast-infection/301197/9 "2005-04-27T03:44:02Z")
Everyone has yeast in their gut, it’s a part of the natural flora. The only time it’s a problem usually is when antibiotics kill off the intestinal bacteria allowing yeast to overgrow. Then you get an unpleasant diarrhea for a while until the bacteria recolonize. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2005, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spit-test-for-yeast-infection/301197/10 "2005-04-27T10:58:53Z")
**dwyr** -that diarrhoea after antibiotics isn’t necessarily caused by yeasts, it could be caused by lots of things, although mostly by anaerobic bacteria. Worst case, you’ve got yourself pseudomembranous colitis, which is caused by the bacterium _Clostridium Difficile_. More info on Pseudomembranous colitis is here: [http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000259.htm](http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000259.htm) **hauss** -if you’re worried about intestinal symptoms, you should see a doctor. It’s more likely to be IBS, H. Pylori or something similar. Your doctor will be able to perform the proper tests and treat you accordingly. Candida is unlikely to be at the root of your symptoms unless you have a severely compromised immune system. ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spit-test-for-yeast-infection/301197/11 "2005-04-28T00:37:16Z")
> [@irishgirl](#): > > **dwyr** -that diarrhoea after antibiotics isn’t necessarily caused by yeasts, it could be caused by lots of things, although mostly by anaerobic bacteria. > > Worst case, you’ve got yourself pseudomembranous colitis, which is caused by the bacterium _Clostridium Difficile_. … Well, I can’t speak for the infection rates at other hospitals but at mine C. diff. is fairly uncommon. Having microscopically examined buckets of poop over the last fifteen years I’m pretty safe in saying that yeast overgrowth is a primary cause here. (I have such a fun job.)