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4w ago

Drug-Resistant Candida Auris Spreads Rapidly in U.S. Healthcare Facilities

The CDC highlights significant outbreaks in Georgia and Florida as the fungus continues to pose a deadly threat to immunocompromised patients.

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The director of the National Reference Centre for Invasive Fungus Infections, Oliver Kurzai, holding in his hands a petri dish holding the yeast candida auris in a laboratory of Wuerzburg University in Wuerzburg, Germany, 23 January 2018. There has been a recent rise of cases in Germany of seriously ill patients becoming infected with the dangerous yeast candida auris.
Deadly fungus C. auris is spreading rapidly in hospitals and nursing homes in the US
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Overview

  • Candida auris, a drug-resistant fungus first identified in the U.S. in 2016, has seen a dramatic increase in cases, with over 4,500 reported in 2023.
  • Recent outbreaks in Georgia and Florida underscore the fungus's rapid spread in healthcare settings, raising concerns about containment efforts.
  • The pathogen primarily impacts immunocompromised individuals, with mortality rates ranging from 30% to 60%, and it resists many antifungal drugs and disinfectants.
  • The CDC and healthcare facilities are emphasizing enhanced surveillance, patient screening, isolation protocols, and the use of specialized disinfectants to curb its spread.
  • Ongoing research aims to develop new treatments and improve infection control measures to address the broader challenge of antimicrobial resistance.