A recent report in the American Journal of Infection Control says a dangerous fungus is spreading at an accelerated pace among U.S. healthcare facilities.
Candida auris (C. auris) was first reported in 2016. Since then, however, experts say the fungus has spread more rapidly. In March 2023 alone, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recorded over 4,000 new cases of the fungus.
C. auris, which the CDC has labeled an “urgent antimicrobial (AR) threat,” per Fox News, can be resistant to numerous antifungal drugs. As a result, infections can be challenging, “and sometimes impossible, to treat,” stated the CDC.
The number of clinical cultures jumped by 580% from 2019 to 2020. A further 251% jump was recorded in 2021, followed by a 46% increase in 2022 and a 7% rise in 2023.
The fungus is not considered a risk for healthy individuals. Instead, it “mostly affects patients with severe underlying medical conditions and those requiring complex medical care and invasive medical devices,” per the CDC. Invasive medical devices like breathing tubes, feeding tubes, and catheters can create an entryway for C. auris to enter the body.
C. auris is a type of yeast that can quickly spread in healthcare facilities like hospitals. The fungus can result in several different infections, “from superficial (skin) infections to more severe, life-threatening infections, such as bloodstream infections.”
Symptoms of C. auris infection depend on the area of the body the infection impacts and its severity. Symptoms can sometimes be similar to bacterial infections, causing fever or chills.
Individuals can also have the fungus on their body but exhibit no symptoms. People colonized with C. auris can spread it to others even if they themselves do not show symptoms.