Watch out! This fungus is spreading in the United States at an "alarming rate", and nearly half of those infected die within 90 days!

Review expert: Zhang Yuhong Zhengzhou Central Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University

Chief Physician of Dermatology

Recently, the familiar term "Candida auris" has appeared on social media again. According to reports, the US health department announced on March 20 that a fungus called "Candida auris" has caused a wave of infections in the United States. The pathogen spreads very quickly and has now spread to more than 30 states, and one-third of the infected people will die within 90 days. The public health security of the United States is facing severe challenges.

Candida auris outbreak in the United States

Source: A short video platform

This topic has become a hot topic, and the people who are still worried about the "double positive" can't help but feel nervous, fearing that this pathogen will spread widely again and threaten our lives and health. So, what is Candida auris, how is it spread, and do we need to worry? Today, let us learn about the true face of Candida auris.

“Young” Candida auris

Candida auris is a relatively young member of the Candida family and was first discovered in Japan in 2009. Generally speaking, a healthy person will have a small amount of Candida cells in their body, which coexist harmoniously with the human body and will not cause any harm to the human body.

Candida auris in a petri dish

Source: Wikipedia

However, some types of Candida auris isolated in Europe and the United States have a certain degree of drug resistance. In November 2016, the US health authorities announced the discovery of a new type of Candida auris, which caused serious consequences such as at least 13 infections and 4 deaths. In 2022, the Argentine Ministry of Health also announced the discovery of two cases of infection with the bacteria.

In my country, there have also been cases of death caused by Candida auris infection. In June 2022, Candida auris spread in the intensive care unit of a hospital. One of the patients had diabetes, had been in the ward for a long time, and had taken antibiotics, which led to low immunity. He eventually died of Candida auris sepsis.

Candida auris causes 60% of deaths in the U.S.

Source: usatoday.com

The Candida auris that caused the current outbreak in the United States is multidrug-resistant, with strong resistance to multiple antifungal drugs. This makes it difficult to treat and causes such a high mortality rate that people call it a "super fungus."

But in fact, there are large differences in morphology and pathogenicity between different types of Candida auris. The Candida auris first discovered in Japan and other types of Candida auris discovered in my country do not show strong drug resistance. Therefore, it is wrong to label all Candida auris as "super fungi".

Candida auris infection routes

How does this "terrifying" bacteria infect people? In fact, most infections and outbreaks of Candida auris occur in medical institutions.

This is because Candida auris can survive for a long time on clothing, human skin and medical facilities. The main mode of transmission of Candida auris is contact transmission, which makes the spread of the pathogen easier in these medical institutions.

Source: pixabay

Transmission through interpersonal contact is the most common route of transmission. After Candida auris is transmitted to the human body, it may cause invasive infection, such as blood infection, causing symptoms such as fever and rapid heartbeat, and may also cause infection of the skin, respiratory tract, ears and other body surfaces. If others accidentally come into contact with the patient, there is a risk of infection. If one's own immunity is good and is not invaded by the bacteria, then he or she will become a carrier of the bacteria and spread it to others.

Is it necessary to worry about Candida auris infection?

Although Candida auris has a high mortality rate, we do not need to worry too much about its infection and outbreak. Because the targets of Candida auris are generally patients with existing diseases. Due to their poor immunity, they need to take antibiotics for a long time to resist the bacteria that invade the human body. Over time, the normal microbial community in the body will be destroyed. At this time, the invasion of Candida auris will become a dominant strain and cause infection.

Officials from relevant departments in the United States claimed that the spread of the pathogen in the United States is related to the COVID-19 pandemic to a certain extent. First, for patients with severe COVID-19, their immune systems have been damaged to a certain extent, making them natural targets for infection by Candida auris. Secondly, as public health departments pay more attention to the COVID-19 pandemic, they have also reduced their attention to Candida auris screening.

In 2022, there were 2,377 confirmed cases of Candida auris in the United States

Source: usatoday.com

The Chinese people do not need to worry too much about the large-scale spread of Candida auris in China, because this pathogen is a hospital-acquired fungus that generally only infects patients with underlying diseases. Normal people with a sound immune system will not be easily infected, and even those who have had contact with patients have a low risk of infection.

Although ordinary people do not need to worry, due to the strong drug resistance, transmission and survival of Candida auris, the state and various medical institutions should pay attention to the detection and prevention of Candida auris. In particular, the pathogen can survive on the surface of objects for a long time, and some commonly used disinfectants may not even have any effect on this fungus, which poses a challenge to the depth of hospital cleaning.

Wash your hands and disinfect before surgery Source: Wikipedia

Therefore, in order to avoid the above situation, the rapid response of medical institutions is very important. Early diagnosis, early identification, early isolation, timely treatment and elimination of the source of infection are necessary after the infection occurs. Only by establishing corresponding screening mechanisms and response measures can potential infection outbreaks be nipped in the bud.