Lethal Super-Fungus in Brazil Found in COVID-19 Patient; What is This New Health Threat Candida Auris?

Thanks, in part, to COVID-19, the first cases of a lethal super-fungus known as C.Auris have just been reported in Brazil. The fungus was traced to a single COVID intensive unit in the city of Salvador.

In late 2020, the lethal super-fungus Candida Auris was reported for the first time in Brazil. Recent reports published this week from scientists that investigated and treated initial cases say that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic helped create a conducive breeding ground for the super-fungus to emerge and spread within a hospital's COVID-19 intensive care unit.

Candida Auris Explained

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC, Candida Auris is turning up to be a serious global health threat.

Discovered by Japanese doctors in 2009, C.Auris is thought to have been infecting people since the 1990s. Although its exact origin remains to be a mystery, the leading theory amongst experts is that it only recently began to wreak havoc on humans. What makes the C. Auris such an immense threat to public health is its ability to become resistant, often quickly, to antifungal drugs.

Milder symptoms of C.Auris include chills and fever; However, in severe cases, the lethal super-fungus can invade a person's bloodstream, organs and could lead to organ damage or life-threatening sepsis.

Although not all super-fungal infections lead to sickness, their hardy resistance makes severe infections incredibly difficult to treat and often lead to fatalities, especially for patients already weakened or immunocompromised.

To make matters worse, difficulty in proper decontamination of the environment where the super-fungus colonizes outside the body, like medical equipment or catheters, provides easy routes for infection.

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Candida Auris in Brazil

Beginning in 2019, the CDC has labeled the super-fungus Candida Auris as an urgent superbug threat. Hospitals and countries across the globe are on high alert for the fungus. December 2020, Brazil became the latest country to detect fungus.

A study published in the journal MDPI, entitled "Emergence of Candida Auris in Brazil in a COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit," reveals that two of the first cases include two hospitalized individuals who were infected by COVID-19. These patients were admitted to the same intensive care unit of the Salvador city hospital.

In reference to the report, the patients were a 59-year old man and a 72-year-old woman. Both of the patients were admitted to the facility and were diagnosed with severe acute respiratory syndrome brought by COVID-19. The intervals of the admission were between October and November 2020.

The individuals both suffered from multiple infections, including the C. Auris. Compared to other outbreaks, the new strain is defenseless to common antifungals. The two patients were treated, with the man recovering and was ordered to be discharged after 49 days. On the other hand, the woman did not survive due to several illnesses in January 2021, reports Gizmodo.

After the first cases, the public officials have received nine other individuals who contracted C. Auris. These patients have been to the exact intensive care unit and were diagnosed with super fungus since December 2020.