We rarely get positive cultures from nipples thought to have thrush, so
we don't know how many are candida albicans or non-albicans. When a
vaginal swab is non-albicans my local lab is too lazy to type it and they
just report "candida non-albicans".
I also do some work at a vulval clinic where the lab does a full report
of the candida, because if it is Candida glabrata it will be resistant to
fluconazole and we will need to use ketoconazole.
I am hoping that one day we will have better testing for candida.
Lisa Amir
GP / IBCLC in Melbourne, Australia