Oral colonization of newborns by Candida species occurs in the first few hours of life which may constitute a health risk in immunocompromised neonates. Oral candida colonization is expected to be more common in infants delivered vaginally compared with those delivered through cesarean section. The objective of this study was to assess and compare the colonization of Candida species on the vaginal mucosa of pregnant women at the time of giving birth and the oral mucosa of their newborns regarding their way of delivery. In this descriptive-analytical study, 80 pregnant women attended Shahid Sadoughi Hospital were divided randomly into two groups based on their way of delivery (natural method and cesarean section). The results were analyzed by SPSS software using non-parametric Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon tests. Among the vaginal mothers, 15 positive cultured cultures were found to be infected with Candida albicans. In this group, the number of colonies reached to 1,000. Considering the culture media obtained from smear of oral mucosa of neonates, 15 mothers were infected with 5 infants with positive culture and growth of fungal colonies in the environment. In these five infants, the Candida fungi was transmitted and the oral mucosa was infected. In the second group (cesarean section), 12 mothers were infected with candida fungi, and no colony of fungus was observed. Candida Albicans fungi prevalence was more prevalent in newborns’ oral mucosa with natural vaginal delivery. Further studies should demonstrate the relationship between maternal infection and isolating candida spices including much more patients.
