Fungus labeled 'urgent threat' by CDC is spreading rapidly, hospital study finds

(NEXSTAR) – New cases of a dangerous, drug-resistant fungus have been identified in at least two states' hospital systems.

Candida auris, also called C. auris, was first identified in the U.S. in 2016. Since then, the number of cases have increased every year, jumping substantially in 2023 (the last year of data available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

Recently, cases have proliferated in Georgia, the state's health department told local news outlet WJCL. A study published this week, which focused on the Jackson Health System in Miami also found cases of the fungus have "rapidly increased."

The CDC has called Candida auris "an urgent antimicrobial resistance threat" because it's resistant to anti-fungal drugs, making it hard to treat an infection once it occurs.

“If you get infected with this pathogen that’s resistant to any treatment, there’s no treatment we can give you to help combat it. You’re all on your own,” Melissa Nolan, an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of South Carolina, told Nexstar.

People with a healthy immune system may be able to fight off infection on their own, but Candida auris mainly spreads in health care settings, where people are sick and vulnerable. People with catheters, breathing tubes, feeding tubes and PICC lines are at the highest risk because the pathogen can enter the body through these types of devices.

When the fungus infects a patient, it can be hard to identify what's going on. Symptoms are like those of any infection, including fever and chills.

Another reason Candida auris is so concerning is because of how well it has adapted to surviving on surfaces, like countertops, bedrails and doorknobs.

“It’s really good at just being, generally speaking, in the environment,” Nolan explained. “So if you have it on a patient’s bed for example, on the railing, and you go to wipe everything down, if in whatever way maybe a couple of pathogens didn’t get cleared, then they’re becoming resistant. And so over time, they can kind of grow and populate in that hospital environment.”

It's not just hospitals in Georgia and Florida that are areas of concern. Candida auris has been found in all but 12 states, with a substantial spike between 2022 and 2023.

In the past, the CDC estimated that “based on information from a limited number of patients, 30–60% of people with C. auris infections have died. However, many of these people had other serious illnesses that also increased their risk of death.”