CANDIDA AURIS – USA: (GEORGIA)
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
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International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
Date: Mon 10 Mar 2025 15:47 EDT
Source: WJCL [edited]
https://www.wjcl.com/article/candida-auris-drug-resistant-fungus/64096081
A fungus, Candida auris, is further drawing attention from health
care professionals across the nation due to its rapid spread and
resistance to treatment. The drug-resistant fungus, first identified
in 2016, has doubled its prevalence in the United States each year
since its discovery. “We’ve had 4 people at one time on and off, over
the past few months, and in years past, it was unusual to have 1 or
even 2 people with Candida auris in our hospital,” said Dr. Timothy
Connelly at Memorial Health in Savannah.
According to JoAnna Wagner from the Georgia Department of Public
Health, the state has seen over 1300 cases as of the end of February
2025. Candida auris, or C. auris, is particularly dangerous in
health care settings, where it spreads easily through invasive medical
equipment such as breathing tubes, feeding tubes, syringes, or
catheters.
The fungus is resistant to many household cleaners and traditional
hospital disinfectants, like ammonia-based cleaning solutions. “Many
of the disinfectants that are EPA-registered and historically used by
hospitals and medical facilities are not effective against C.
auris,” Wagner said.
To combat this, health care facilities in Georgia are now using US
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “List P” certified cleaners,
which are specifically designed to kill the fungus. The EPA has a list
of cleaning solutions for different diseases.
Candida auris is a type of fungus similar to Candida albicans,
which is what is common in yeast infections,” Connelly said. “The
difference between Candida auris [can be a more] invasive fungus,
and a lot of the common medicines that we use, like Diflucan
[fluconazole], don’t work for it. And then the second-line medicines,
like Micafungin, in 10% of cases, that doesn’t work for it.”
C. auris is resistant to most antifungal medications, making it
extremely difficult to treat. Dr. Connelly described the severity of
the infection, likening it to cancer.
“The fungus will just keep getting bigger and bigger, obstruct certain
parts of the lungs, and can cause secondary pneumonia. Eventually, it
can go on to kill people,” Connelly said.
However, experts emphasize that the fungus does not pose a threat to
the general public. “If a person develops an infection in their blood,
they’re very difficult to treat,” Wagner said. “It is good to note
that C. auris is not a threat to the general public.”
“We have very strict protocols in our hospital to ensure that when we
do see patients with Candida auris, we use all those proper cleaning
protocols to ensure that nobody else gets it,” Connelly said.