Candida albicans is a common member of the human gut flora. It is detected in the gastrointestinal tract and mouth in 40–60% of healthy adults.

Candida albicans is usually a commensal organism, but it can become pathogenic in immunocompromised individuals under a variety of conditions. It is one of the few species of the genus Candida that causes the human infection candidiasis, which results from an overgrowth of the fungus.