The drug-resistant fungus Candida auris, discovered only 15 years ago, has become one of the most feared hospital microbes worldwide. The World Health Organization estimates mortality rates between 30% and 53% for patients with invasive infections. The fungus can affect the bloodstream, nervous system, and internal organs if it enters the body.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, clinical cases in the United States tripled from 476 in 2019 to 1,471 in 2021, with the agency describing the spread as 'alarming'. Outbreaks have been reported in over 30 countries, with nearly 4,750 cases globally between 2009 and 2019, according to a 2020 review.
Candida auris is often resistant to common antifungal drugs, with some strains 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.' Identifying an infection is difficult, as it can be mistaken for other fungi, leading to incorrect treatment.
Transmission occurs mainly through contaminated surfaces in hospitals, such as intravenous lines and blood pressure cuffs. Dr Neil Stone, fungal expert at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, University College London, described it as 'the most worrying fungi' and warned: 'We ignore it at our peril.' The fungus is hard to clean off surfaces.
Healthy individuals are unlikely to contract C. auris in daily life, but those in hospitals for long periods, nursing homes, or intensive care are at higher risk. Patients who have taken many antibiotics are also more vulnerable, as the drugs destroy beneficial bacteria that normally prevent infection.
A 2019 study suggested that rising temperatures linked to climate change may have contributed to the increase in C. auris infections, as the fungus adapted to survive at higher temperatures. DNA evidence indicates that resistance genes may have transferred from the common Candida albicans to C. auris.
