A new study has shown that cases of Candida auris, a drug-resistant fungus, have nearly doubled in the United States in recent years.
A study by scientists from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), published Tuesday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, revealed that cases of infection by the fungus Candida auris drug-resistant and life-threatening are increasing at an “alarming rate” in health care settings across the country. The number of cases nearly doubled from 2019 to 2021 and continued to increase in 2022. Candida auris was first detected in the US in 2016, and 756 cases of infection were recorded across the country in 2020. figure that in 2021 had already increased by 95%, reaching 1,471 almost. While not all states have yet provided information on the number of infections in 2022, the data shows the upward trend has continued. Preliminary data from 30 states count at least 2,377 cases by 2022. The study’s lead author, Dr. Meghan Lyman, he explained to NBC News that the intense spread of the disease, “especially in the last few years, it’s really worrying“, adding that the increase was seen “not only in areas of ongoing transmission, but also in previously uninvolved areas.
This fungus, found on the skin and throughout the body, represents a serious threat for patients already weakened by other diseases and is capable of causing serious complications as it spreads through body systems. This is why the people most at risk are patients in hospitals and nursing homes. “Unfortunately, multidrug-resistant organisms, such as Candida auris, are becoming more prevalent among those most at risk, such as long-term care facility residents.said Tammy Yates, a spokeswoman for the Mississippi State Department of Health. Last year, the World Health Organization has classified the Candida auris between the worst fungal threats to public health of today, given the danger it poses to vulnerable patients and the difficulty of treating it.