22 Mar 2023 • According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, Candida auris (C. auris), an emerging fungus considered an urgent antimicrobial resistance (AR) threat, has spread at an alarming rate in U.S. healthcare facilities in 2020-2021. Equally concerning was a tripling in 2021 of the number of cases that were resistant to echinocandins, the antifungal medicine most recommended for treatment of C. auris infections. CDC has now deemed C. auris as an urgent AR threat, because it is often resistant to multiple antifungal drugs, spreads easily in healthcare facilities, and can cause severe infections with high death rates.

What does the report suggest?

• C. auris has spread in the United States since it was first reported in 2016, with a total of 3,270 clinical cases (in which infection is present) and 7,413 screening cases (in which the fungus is detected but not causing infection) reported through December 31, 2021
• Clinical cases have increased each year since 2016, with the most rapid rise occurring during 2020-2021
• CDC has continued to see an increase in case counts for 2022.

"The timing of this increase and findings from public health investigations suggest C. auris spread may have worsened due to strain on healthcare and public health systems during the COVID-19 pandemic," the CDC explained in a news release.

Source: CDC | Read full story