CDC Issues Warning on Antimicrobial-Resistant Fungus

A recent press release by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has revealed that the fungus known as Candida auris (C. auris), an emerging fungus considered an urgent antimicrobial resistance (AR) threat, spread at an alarming rate in U.S. health care facilities in 2020–2021, according to data published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Equally concerning was a tripling in 2021 of the number of cases that were resistant to echinocandins, a class of antifungal medicines most recommended for treatment of C. auris infections. 

“The rapid rise and geographic spread of cases is concerning and emphasizes the need for continued surveillance, expanded lab capacity, quicker diagnostic tests, and adherence to proven infection prevention and control,” said CDC epidemiologist Dr. Meghan Lyman, lead author of the publication.

In the release, poor general infection prevention and control (IPC) practices in health care facilities was cited as one of the many reasons for the increase of C. auris cases in the United States. C. auris spread also might have worsened due to the strain placed on health care and public health systems during the COVID-19 pandemic.

C. auris has been spreading in the U.S. 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 between 2020 and 2021. CDC has continued to see an increase in case counts for 2022.

Screening for C. auris tripled from 2020 to 2021, for a total of 4,041. According to CDC, screening is important to prevent spread by identifying patients carrying the fungus so that infection prevention controls can be used.

In general, C. auris is not a threat to healthy people. However, individuals who are very sick, have invasive medical devices, or have long or frequent stays in health care facilities have an increased risk for acquiring the fungus. According to CDC, its declaration of C. auris as an urgent AR threat is due to its frequent resistance to multiple antifungal drugs, how easily the fungus can spread within health care facilities, and its ability to cause severe infections with high death rates.

Earlier in March, CMMOnline reported that many types of fungi, including C. auris, are becoming a global problem, as the world becomes wetter and its population of vulnerable immune-compromised individuals increases. Read Is Fungus the Cleaning Industry’s Next Biggest Challenge? for more information.