The fungus, Candida auris is an emerging “superbug” and is fast becoming a global health threat. The CDC has added drug-resistant C auris to a list of germs, which are considered as “urgent threats.”
Cauris has been reported from South Korea, India, Pakistan, Kuwait, Israel, Oman, South Africa, Colombia, Venezuela, the United States, Canada, and Europe, including the United Kingdom, Norway, Germany and Spain. A total of 617 cases have been reported in the US till March 29, 2019.
Cauris is a deadly infection; immunocompromised persons are more vulnerable to develop this infection. People who recently had surgery, live in nursing homes, or who have breathing tubes, feeding tubes or central venous catheters are especially at higher risk.
Patients can remain colonised with C auris for a long time and the fungus can survive on hospital surface for long duration. This facilitates spread of C. auris between patients in healthcare facilities.
It can cause different types of infections, including bloodstream infection, wound infection, and ear infection. The symptoms of the infection are not easily identifiable as the patients are already critically ill.
According to the CDC, infection with C auris is of concern because:
- It is often multidrug-resistant.
- It is difficult to identify with standard laboratory methods, and it can be misidentified in labs without specific technology, which can lead to inappropriate management.
- It has caused outbreaks in healthcare settings.
