Overview
- Federal data show 3,437 clinical Candida auris cases in 27 states as of the week ending July 25, reflecting mid‑July snapshots that updated earlier counts.
- The fungus spreads mainly in health‑care settings because it can live on skin and contaminate surfaces for weeks, which lets people who carry it without symptoms pass it on.
- A CDC analysis of 2022–2023 samples found more than 95% of isolates resist the azole drug fluconazole, about 15% resist amphotericin B, roughly 1% resist echinocandins, and fewer than 1% resist all three major drug classes.
- Most infections are treated with echinocandins today, but the emergence of echinocandin‑resistant strains and strains resistant to multiple classes limit options for some patients.
- Health agencies are pushing faster detection, routine screening of high‑risk patients, strict isolation and use of EPA‑approved disinfectants, a response that will increase lab demand and add strain to hospitals and long‑term care facilities.