A drug-resistant fungus, Candida auris, is spreading at an alarming rate in US healthcare facilities, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). First discovered in 2009 in Tokyo, the yeast-type fungus has become one of the world's most feared hospital microbes, with a mortality rate estimated between 30% and 53% for invasive infections, as noted by the World Health Organization.
Candida auris can cause severe infections in the bloodstream, respiratory system, central nervous system, and internal organs. It is often resistant to common antifungal drugs, and some strains are resistant to all available medicines. Dr Tina Joshi, associate professor in Molecular Biology at the University of Plymouth, said, 'The biggest problem with this fungus is its resistance to the drugs we have.' Furthermore, identifying an infection is challenging and it can be easily mistaken for other fungi, leading to incorrect treatment.
Transmission occurs primarily through contaminated surfaces in hospitals, sticking to intravenous lines and blood pressure cuffs. Dr Neil Stone, a leading fungal expert at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, University College London, stated, 'It is the most worrying fungi and we ignore it at our peril.' The CDC reported that clinical cases in the US trebled from 476 in 2019 to 1,471 in 2021, with outbreaks in over 30 countries globally.
An international study in 2019 suggested that rising temperatures linked to climate change may have contributed to the rise of Candida auris infections, as the species adapted to higher temperatures. The fungus is particularly dangerous for hospitalised patients, especially those in intensive care or on long-term antibiotic treatment, which destroys beneficial bacteria that help prevent infection.
