Deadly Fungus Continues to Threaten U.S. Healthcare
A new government study has revealed that a highly dangerous type of fungus, which is largely untreatable, remains a severe threat to healthcare facilities across the U.S.
Candida auris, often referred to as C. auris, is a yeast that can lead to serious health issues, particularly in individuals with weakened immune systems.
This fungus was first identified in the U.S. in 2016, and since then, more than half the states have reported cases. From 2022 to 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) documented 13,507 cases of C. auris, with consistent and significant annual increases. Most cases were in men over 45, primarily within hospitals and healthcare settings, based on data collected from various state and local health departments.
While the CDC’s report did not account for deaths associated with C. auris infections, earlier findings indicated that around 30% of those infected with the fungus may not survive.
C. auris can settle on the skin, a situation referred to as “colonization,” and eliminating it is a challenge.
“Occasionally, fungi can become part of our skin ecosystem,” remarked Dr. Waleed Javaid, who serves as chief quality officer at West Virginia University Hospitals and is a professor of medicine in the infectious diseases division.
For typically healthy individuals, the fungus generally doesn’t cause noticeable symptoms. However, those with compromised immune systems or other underlying health problems are at a greater risk of infection. The fungus has the potential to cause minor skin irritations or, more seriously, dangerous bloodstream infections.
Javaid emphasized that once C. auris is identified in a facility, thorough sterilization of rooms with hospital-grade disinfectants is necessary. The fungus can linger on the skin and easily spread to surfaces or individuals with injuries.
Symptoms of a C. auris infection often include fever and chills, which can resemble those of bacterial infections.
In its latest report, the CDC noted that this fungus exhibits strong resistance to fluconazole, the primary antifungal medication, while also becoming harder to treat with alternative medications. “Currently, we still have one effective drug against it,” stated Dr. Arturo Casadevall, chair of molecular microbiology and immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “The real worry is that this organism is becoming resistant to that one, and our options for antifungal agents are limited.”
Fungi are biochemically similar to humans and animals, complicating the development of drugs that can eliminate the fungus without harming human hosts. Dr. Casadevall pointed out that finding effective biochemical targets is challenging. “Unlike fungi, which are closely related to us, bacteria are more diverse, offering more potential targets for treatment, resulting in fewer antifungal options,” he explained.
Fungal infections are relatively uncommon in humans, partly because fungi struggle with the body’s elevated temperatures. However, Casadevall mentioned that climate change could play a role in the growing cases of C. auris infections. “As temperatures rise, these organisms adapt, and humans face greater stress,” he noted.
