- Fungus spreads to 36 states
- Resistant to most drugs
- Fatal in compromised patients
A deadly fungus that infects one in three Americans is expanding rapidly and has entered another state.
Candida auris, a strain of yeast that is resistant to the majority of antifungal drugs, has recently arrived in Washington, according to the most recent report from local health officials. The pathogen has now infected Americans in 36 states.
Four patients receiving treatment at a hospital in Seattle have contracted the fungus since January, according to them.
The yeast is exceedingly transmissible; patients with compromised immune systems can easily contract infections through contact with contaminated surfaces; such infections may result in severe sepsis.
It is also resistant to medications that are frequently employed to treat fungal infections.
Since 2021, the incidence of the infection has increased considerably, by 95% in just two years.
The infection spread to six additional states in the previous year: New Mexico, Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Delaware, where 2,377 cases were identified.
In the United States, there have been 5,654 cases since 2016.
Dr. Meghan Lyman, CDC chief medical officer, called these increases “extremely concerning to us.” Experts have expressed concern over them.
“Especially in recent years, [these increases] are extremely concerning to us,” she told NBC.
Not only have we observed increases in regions where transmission is ongoing, but we have also identified new areas.
C. auris is also present in marshes and wetlands. According to health officials, it poses little threat to fit individuals whose immune systems are adequate to combat it.
In contrast, the fungus can spread to patients with comorbidities or those taking immune-suppressing medications—such as those used to treat cancer—making it a threat in hospitals.
Initially, individuals experience symptoms such as fever, chills, and night sweats. However, as the fungus progresses into the circulation, sepsis—an extremely severe inflammatory immune reaction—can develop—a fatal consequence of the infection.
It is possible to overlook the fungus, which is identified through a blood test, during the initial phases of infection.
Additionally, the disease can be difficult to manage due to its resistance to common antifungal drugs and, in certain instances, more potent drugs known as echinocandins.
On 10 January, health authorities in Washington were notified of the initial case involving a hospitalised patient in Seattle.
Fungal Threat Grows in Hospitals
The hospital identified three additional cases by the end of the month. Upon admission, all three patients had tested negative for the virus.
State public health official Claire Brostrom-Smith stated, “The majority of healthy individuals have nothing to fear regarding C. auris infections.”
“The risk is greatest for hospitalised patients who require medical interventions such as feeding tubes, respirators, or urinary catheters and have extended hospital stays.”
“By proactively identifying cases in their early stages, healthcare facilities that conduct screenings significantly reduce the risk of transmission to other patients.”
The cases have been identified for the first time in the history of Washington. Additionally, Washington is the second state in the North West to detect the disease, following Oregon’s discovery of infections in 2021.
In 2022, the most recent year for which data is available, the fungus was first detected in six states.
Additionally, concerns were expressed regarding a non-hospital-associated outbreak in Nevada, which indicated the potential for the disease to have spread beyond hospital environments.
The number of reported cases jumped 95% from 2020 to 2021, more than double the 44% increase from 2020.
In 2021, 1,471 cases were documented.
A total of 2,377 cases of the fungus were identified in 2022, representing a 61 per cent increase.
New York has the most cases (1,325), followed by Illinois (1,044) and California (813).
One of the individuals who contracted the fungus in 2019 was Lorraine McCreary, an 86-year-old patient from Florida.
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She passed away as a result of a fatal stroke that was precipitated by a C. auris infection.
Lorrie, as relatives and friends called her, was hospitalised with pneumonia in June. This was not unusual for someone in her advanced years.
However, as she started to recover, her condition deteriorated swiftly, prompting doctors to conduct a battery of tests to determine the cause.
Physicians ultimately determined that she had contracted C. auris from the fungus in her oxygen tubing.
