The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a warning about a drug-resistant fungus that is spreading in healthcare facilities across the country.
Clinical cases of Candida auris, a fungus that can cause deadly infections in already ill individuals, have been increasing since 2016. A study published on Monday (20) in the Annals of Internal Medicine assessed cases of Candida auris reported to the CDC from 2016—the year cases were first reported in the U.S.—to 2021.
The authors of the study found that clinical cases increased each year, rising from 53 in 2016 to 330 in 2018 and skyrocketing from 476 in 2019 to 1,471 in 2021.
Cases of Candida auris have also expanded geographically. While it was initially found mainly in New York and Chicago, Candida auris is now present in more than half of U.S. states. Between 2019 and 2021, 17 states identified their first cases.
Why is Candida auris a problem?
1. Causes severe infections – C. auris can cause bloodstream infections and lead to death, particularly in hospitalized patients and nursing homes with serious medical issues. More than 1 in 3 patients with severe C. auris infections (e.g., an infection affecting the blood, heart, or brain) die.
2. Often resistant to medications – Common antifungal medications used to treat Candida infections usually do not work for Candida auris. Some C. auris infections have been resistant to all three types of antifungal medications.
3. Becoming more common – Although C. auris was discovered only in 2009, it has spread rapidly and has already caused infections in more than a dozen countries.
4. Difficult to identify – C. auris can be mistakenly identified as other types of fungi unless specialized laboratory technology is used. This misidentification can lead to the patient receiving the wrong treatment.
5. Can spread in hospitals and nursing homes – C. auris has caused outbreaks in healthcare settings and can spread through contact with affected patients and contaminated surfaces or equipment. Good hygiene and hand cleaning in healthcare settings are important because C. auris can live on surfaces for several weeks.
How to recognize a Candida auris infection?
C. auris is still rare in the United States. People who contract invasive Candida infections are usually already ill with other medical conditions, making it difficult to know if you have a C. auris infection. The most common symptoms of invasive Candida infection are fever and chills that do not improve after antibiotic treatment for a suspected bacterial infection. Only a laboratory test can diagnose a C. auris infection.
Scientists are still learning about Candida auris
The CDC and public health partners are working to better understand C. auris and answer the following questions:
• Why is C. auris resistant to antifungal medications?
• Why has C. auris started causing infections in recent years?
• Where did C. auris originally come from, and why has it appeared in many regions of the world at the same time?
Source: CDC and CNN