Candida auris: a fungus named an “urgent threat” by the World Health Organization and the CDC

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has now identified an “urgent threat,” the exponential increase in infections from the drug-resistant fungus Candida auris, with more than half of US states now reporting cases.

Candida auris (C. auris) was first reported in Japan in 2009, while the first known infections in the United States date back to 2013. Cases have increased dramatically through the end of 2021, according to a research paper published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The CDC reports that last year there were 2,377 clinical diagnoses reported and 5,754 cases detected through screening.

Signs of the fungus continuing to spread are “harbingers of a frightening future,” said Arturo Casadevall, a microbiologist and immunologist at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health who studies how fungi cause disease.

Late last year, the World Health Organization published its first list of “priority fungal pathogens,” including Candida auris.

“Fungal pathogens pose a significant threat to public health because they are becoming increasingly resistant to treatment with four classes of antifungal drugs currently available,” says WHO.

Here’s everything we need to know about Candida auris, as reported by Bloomberg:

How does one comment?

Most cases of the fungus have been reported in healthcare settings, such as hospitals and nursing homes. It is generally thought to spread through contact with contaminated surfaces or through person-to-person transmission.

What do fungi do to the body?

There are two ways that Candida auris can affect the body. Either lives in a specific area, such as the skin, rectum, or mouth, in a process called “asymptomatic colonization,” where a patient has no symptoms but can pass it on to other people.

Or it can enter the bloodstream or wounds, where it can cause serious infections.

What are the symptoms of Candida auris?

The most common symptoms include fever and chills that don’t go away after antibiotic treatment. But the diagnosis is difficult because many other common diseases share these symptoms. For this reason, misdiagnosis often leads to wrong treatment. Correct diagnosis often requires that a blood sample or a sample from the site of infection be sent to a specialized laboratory to definitively confirm the presence of the fungus.

Is it fatal?

Yes, but the statistics are not clear. The CDC puts the fatality rate between 30-60%, based on information from a limited number of patients, but notes that many victims had other serious illnesses that could increase the risk of death.

Can Candida auris be treated with medication?

While most fungal infections are treated with antifungal medications known as echinocandins, scientists have been alarmed by the growing number of cases that are resistant to the three main classes of available antifungals.

This means that doctors must combine many types of drugs in high doses to treat patients with varying degrees of success each time.

Who is most at risk?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people who already have other medical conditions are often more susceptible to infection with the fungus, as are those who have stayed in health care settings, such as nursing homes or intensive care units.

Invasive devices such as breathing tubes inserted into the body can become a hotbed of infection.

Other factors that can make a person weak include recent surgery, conditions like diabetes, and the widespread use of antibiotics and antifungals.
It should be noted that the infection was identified in all age groups.