Cases of potentially deadly fungus detected in 27 states, CDC data shows. What to know
(ABC) — Cases of a potentially deadly fungus have been detected in 27 states so far this year, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
As of the week ending July 25, there have been 3,437 cases of Candida auris (C. auris) identified. This is about 1,000 fewer cases than the 4,290 figure detected at the same time last year.
California has recorded the most cases with 873, followed by Texas with 433 and Tennessee with 283.
An increasing number of cases does not mean the fungus is transmitting at a more rapid pace than usual. The CDC says the rate of C. auris cases continue to rise each year, but the rate of increase has slowed since 2022.
C. auris is a type of yeast that can cause severe illness and spreads easily among those who are very ill in healthcare facilities, according to the CDC.
It can cause a wide a range of infections, from skin infections to more severe, life-threatening infections, such as bloodstream infections, the CDC says.
C. auris was first discovered in 1996 by Korean researchers and formally identified in Japan in 2009 as a new species.
Patients who are infected and those who have the fungus in their skin or other body areas without symptoms can spread C. auris. The fungus can live on surfaces and objects, such as doorknobs and bedrails, for a long time and spread to patients.
Most healthy people do not need to worry about C. auris infections, experts have previously said. However, those with weakened immune systems or who are immunocompromised are at risk of hard-to-treat infections.
Additionally, nursing home patients or hospital patients who have or have had lines and tubes in their body — such as a catheter or a breathing tube — are also at high risk.
Several strains of C. auris infections are resistant to at least one type of anti-fungal medication if not several.
A CDC analysis published earlier this year of 8,033 C. auris samples in 2022 and 2023 found that more than 95% were resistant to fluconazole, a first-line antifungal treatment; 15% were resistant to the prescription antifungal medication amphotericin B; 1% were resistant to the antifungal medication echinocandins, and fewer than 1% were resistant to all three antifungal drug classes.
Most infections can be treated with echinocandins, according to the CDC.
Studies are limited but the mortality rate of C. auris is estimated to be between 30% and 60%.
Because most patients who contract C. auris were already ill, “when patients with C. auris die, it is hard to know how much C. auris contributed to their death compared to other pre-existing illnesses,” according to the CDC.
