Home Health and Fitness CDC warns of “alarming” rise of drug-resistant fungus Candida auris causing deadly outbreaks in hospitals

CDC warns of “alarming” rise of drug-resistant fungus Candida auris causing deadly outbreaks in hospitals

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case of Drug-resistant Candida auris The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned on Monday that it was rising at an “amazing” rate in health facilities across the country after reports of infected patients nearly doubled in 2021.

Years after the first cases were reported in the United States 2016Only a few dozen Candida auris cases are reported to the CDC each year. However, in recent years, cases have started to accelerate, according to new reports. CDC data Published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

By 2021, the annual number of cases has increased by 95% from 756 in 2020 to 1,471 in 2021. numbers At least 2,377 more cases will be reported in 2022. Currently, 30 states and the District of Columbia have reported cases of Candida auris.

A petri dish of the yeast Candida auris seen in a laboratory at the University of Wurzburg in Wurzburg, Germany, in a file photo on January 23, 2018.

Nicholas Armor/Photo Alliance via Getty Images


“The number of cases continues to rise, which means what we saw before has continued. It hasn’t stopped. Dr. Megan says. Lyman, who was the lead author of the report.

Candida auris is a type of yeast that often causes no symptoms in healthy people. However, the fungus poses a serious threat to patients already debilitated by other medical conditions, causing severe symptoms. Invasive Complications when it spreads to the body systems. Many cases affect patients in hospitals and nursing homes.

largely Candida auris test samples are already resistant to at least one class of antifungal drug. It’s often difficult to assess the exact role fungi played, said Lyman.

Some patients who survive an invasive infection may remain “colonized” With candida auris for many years after they were treated.

“There’s still a lot to learn about colonization patterns, but it doesn’t seem like the cure is perfect. It may treat the infection, but there’s no evidence to completely eliminate C. auris from the body.” Lyman said.

Monday’s report is just a recent reminder growing threat raised by a range of drug-resistant pathogens.

a 2019 report According to the CDC, the fungus was already listed at the most “urgent” threat level among drug-resistant pathogens emerging nationwide. 2022the CDC has included Candida auris in its roster of drug-resistant infections that have grown at an alarming rate in the wake of COVID-19.

other countries also reported New or accelerated Candida auris infections in recent years.

It’s difficult to gauge the exact impact of the pandemic on this trend, but Lyman, who works for the agency’s Fungal Diseases Division, which focuses on drug resistance in healthcare settings, has conducted studies that have found some links. I quoted

1 CDC report We investigated the 2020 outbreak in a Florida hospital’s COVID ward after hospital screening and some precautions were suspended during the pandemic.

“We continue to see challenges around infection control, so not all is solved because COVID is not here. This is kind of a cautionary tale. I think it highlights some things that could have been there.” Lyman.

World Health Organization last year Ranked Candida auris is one of the worst fungal threats facing public health today, given the danger it poses to vulnerable patients and the frustration doctors face in treating and halting the emergence of drug resistance. is.

According to CDC data, nearly all tested samples of Candida auris are resistant to at least one class of antifungal treatment. Communication network of antimicrobial resistance labs.

Fewer than 5% of cases tested were resistant to echinocandins. initial treatment Recommended for the treatment of patients battling Candida auris infection.

But Lyman’s report also shows a modest increase in cases of “pan-resistant” fungal infections (those that are resistant to all available drugs).Health officials have reported the outbreak 2021 Texas and Washington DC suggest that resistant infections are widespread, even in patients who have never been treated with echinocandins.

Dr Lyman said hospitals and nursing homes have ways to prevent the spread of Candida auris. sieving We are taking special measures to isolate infected patients.

“A lot of attention is focused on pandemics and widespread transmission, but less on facilities and areas that can prevent transmission,” Lyman said.

Lyman says the laboratory’s ability to detect and diagnose cases has improved over the years, as has knowledge of strategies to control transmission between patients.

“In some of these places it may not be realistic to never see a case again, but there are still many things that can be done to prevent the spread,” she said.

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