The drug-resistant fungus Candida auris, first identified only 15 years ago, has become one of the most feared hospital microbes globally. According to the World Health Organization, invasive infections have a mortality rate between 30% and 53%. The fungus can affect the bloodstream, nervous system, and internal organs.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on 20 March that the fungus has spread at an alarming rate in US healthcare facilities. Clinical cases in the country trebled from 476 in 2019 to 1,471 in 2021. Outbreaks have occurred in over 30 countries, with almost 4,750 cases reported globally between 2009 and 2019.
Candida auris 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.' Identifying an infection is also difficult, as it can be mistaken for other fungi, leading to incorrect treatment.
Transmission occurs mainly through contaminated surfaces in hospitals, sticking to intravenous lines and blood pressure cuffs. Dr Neil Stone, a fungal expert at University College London, said: 'It is the most worrying fungi and we ignore it at our peril.' The risk is higher for patients in intensive care or nursing homes, and for those who have taken extensive antibiotics.
A 2019 study suggested that rising temperatures linked to climate change may have contributed to the increase in Candida auris infections, as the fungus adapted to survive at higher temperatures.
