Candida Auris, a Multidrug Resistance Fungal Infection that Kills 60 Percent Of Individuals

Last June, the federal health officials warned U.S. clinics to be aware of the emerging pathogens that have been spreading around the globe that caused almost three dozen of citizens that has been diagnosed. Since 2009, a deadly and highly drug-resistant fungal infection known as Candida auris, has been reported on five continents in a dozen countries.

According to The Washington Post, this fungal infection was first found in an ear infection of a patient in Japan. Since then, the fungus has been reported along with this country including, Colombia, India, Israel, Kenya, Pakistan, South Korea, Venezuela, and the United Kingdom.

Candia auris is a serious yeast infection that runs through the bloodstream and spreads easily from person to person, especially in health-care settings. Candida auris can survive on skin for months and weeks on bed rails, chairs, and other hospital equipment. It is difficult to identify with the standard laboratory methods and can be misidentified in labs without the specific technology.

CDC encourage all the U.S. laboratory staff to notify their state or the local public health authorities, whoever identify the Candida auris. CDC is now tracking the numbers of infections and updating the case count in every a couple of weeks. Based on the information from a limited number of patients, there is 60 percent of individuals who died with this infection and most of them are also had serious illnesses.

Though the officials are not sure whether the deaths were caused by the infection or by their serious medical conditions, yet the five patients with fungus are initially isolated from blood, one from urine, and one from the ear. So far, the fungus does not seem to be developing into a new strain in the United States, because the country does not have any domestic strains of the said deadly fungus.

Candida auris has been resistant to the three types of major antifungal drugs because it is an invasive bloodstream infection that can affect the blood, heart, and other parts of the body that are more dangerous. Since CDC issued an alert, the agency is now providing funds and additional experts to help the regional laboratories and hospitals to identify the organism.