Candida auris is a yeast responsible for many infections. Resistant to most antifungal drugs, this fungus causes several deaths worldwide. Optical microscope view. (Photo by: BSIP/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
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A deadly, often drug-resistant fungus has spread to more than 3,100 people across nearly half of the United States, with Texas reporting the most cases.
The first case of Candida auris in the United States was reported in 2016. Since then, the number of cases per year has continued to increase. As of July 25, 3,182 cases have been reported across 23 states. That number is off the pace compared to the same point last year, when 3,489 cases were reported.
Texas currently has the most cases reported at 715. The Lone Star State had 697 as of this point last year.
What is Candida auris, and how does it spread?
Candida auris is a fungal infection. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says some patients get severe, sometimes life-threatening, infections from C. auris. Other patients, however, show no symptoms at all in what is called colonization. The fungus is easily spread in healthcare settings.
C. auris can be spread on objects and surfaces by those who are sick and those without symptoms showing. The fungus can live for a long time on surfaces, the CDC says.
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The Cleveland Clinic says the people most at risk of contracting a C. auris infection are those with an already weakened immune system from an underlying health condition. They say those who have medical devices like a breathing tube, central venous line, feeding tube or catheter have an increased risk of allowing the fungus to enter the body.
Those who have been in the hospital for a long time or are in a long-term care facility are also at an increased risk.
The CDC says handwashing and using alcohol-based hand sanitizers can help prevent the spread of C. auris, as well as isolation of those who have the fungus.
In healthcare settings, caregivers can use special disinfectants and wear gloves and gowns to help prevent the spread.
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