Deadly fungus Candida auris spreading in US hospitals, CDC says
- Cases at healthcare facilities nearly doubled between 2020 and 2021, a new report shows
- Also concerning was a tripling of the number of drug-resistant cases in 2021
Potentially deadly fungal infections caused by Candida auris are spreading rapidly in US healthcare facilities, with cases nearly doubling between 2020 and 2021, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said.
The number of cases rose by 44 per cent to 476 in 2019, up from 330 in 2018, and subsequently 59 per cent to 756 in 2020 and by an additional 95 per cent to 1,471 in 2021, the agency’s researchers reported on Monday in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Also concerning was a tripling in 2021 of the number of cases that were resistant to echinocandins, the class of drugs most often recommended for treatment of the disease.
A high fever with chills that does not get better after taking antibiotics may be a sign of Candida auris infection.
People who are very sick, have invasive medical devices such as mechanical ventilators, or have long or frequent hospital stays are at particular risk for the infections, the report said.