CDC Warns of a Deadly Fungus Sweeping Throughout US: Should People Be Worried of Getting Infected?

Candida auris, a yeast-type fungus, presents a serious global health threat. Now, it is spreading throughout hospitals and nursing homes in the United States at an alarming rate.

Since its first case in the US in 2016, other infections throughout half of the country's 50 states were also recorded. In a new report titled "Worsening Spread of Candida auris in the United States, 2019 to 2021," published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers warn that the infections have tripled between 2019 and 2021.

CDC Warns of a Deadly Fungus Sweeping Throughout the US: Should People Be Worried of Getting Infected?

(Photo: Unsplash/National Cancer Institute)
Agar Plate. Red blood cells on an agar plate are used to diagnose infection. The plate on the left shows a positive staphyloccus infection. The plate on the right shows a positive streptococcus infection and, with the halo effect, shows specifically a beta-hemolytic group A.

Should People Be Worried of This 'Urgent Antimicrobial Resistance Threat'?

According to the report of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the US cases of Candida auris fungal infection in 2019 were only about 756, but it has drastically increased to 1,471 by 2021.

Many of the patients were in hospitals or nursing homes. Also, BBC News reported that most cases were immune to anti-fungal treatment. That is why the health agency has called it an "urgent antimicrobial resistance threat."

But CDC said that healthy people are not at risk of the deadly fungal infection. Only those with weak immune systems, such as people regularly using medical devices like ventilators or catheters, can suffer a severe type of infection.

The fungus can spread from having contacted an infected person or exposure to contaminated equipment or surfaces. In terms of mortality, about one in three patients die from infection, although CDC epidemiologist Dr. Meghan Lyman says that it is difficult to assess the role of Candida auris in vulnerable patients.

The health agency also said that the most common symptoms include fever and chills that do not improve after treatment. Experts advise seeking medical attention as only a laboratory test can confirm an infection.

Reasons for the Rapid Spread of Canida auris

The CDC blames the increase in cases of the fungus becoming resistant to antifungal medicine that is most recommended for treating the infection.

CDC said poor infection prevention at healthcare facilities and enhanced screening efforts could also be attributed. Lastly, the strain on healthcare and public health systems during the COVID-19 pandemic may have worsened it.

During the pandemic, people who became ill from COVID-19 may have needed ventilation in the intensive care unit, a risk factor for Candida auris colonization and infection.

However, an article by Associate Professor Rebecca Drummon from the University of Birmingham wrote in The Conversation that it would take some time to figure out how exactly the pandemic has affected the rates of fungal infections around the world. She noted that knowing the answer is important to predict how the cases would fluctuate in the future.

Treatment of the infection caused by this deadly fungus is still limited because it has been proven that some Candida auris cases are resistant to all three types of antifungal drugs. Therefore, health professionals are asked to remain vigilant of this drug-resistant fungus as it might cause more outbreaks and serious diseases.