Drug-resistant deadly super fungus spreads to half of US states – see if your area is affected
A FORM of drug-resistant super fungus has now spread to several states, with hundreds of cases confirmed around the country.
Referred to as a fungal superbug, Candida auris has spread through many nursing homes and hospitals.
The first identification of the fungus in the United States was reported seven years ago, but since then, 25 states have had at least one case of the superbug, per Science Alert.
Now, a new report has found a tripling in infections from 2019 to 2021, and medical experts have noted that Candida auris resistant to many drugs — making treatment difficult.
Hundreds of cases have appeared in California (359), Nevada (384), Texas (160), Illinois (276), New York (326), and Florida (349), per a map from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Candida auris is a yeast-type fungus, and although there are others similar to it, it is unique in how it infects people.
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It reportedly grows or "colonizes" in humans' skin, in contrast to other Candida fungus that prefers to grow in a person's gut as part of the microbiome.
The superbug seems to prefer the skin instead of the gut, according to health officials.
Those who have been colonized by Candida auris then shed yeast from their skin, often unknowingly, contaminating surfaces and sleeping areas with the fungus.
This spreading then quickly leads to outbreaks.
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It's highly unusual for a fungus to spread this way, but Candida auris does because of its affliction on the skin.
Fortunately, medical professionals claim that most humans colonized by the fungus will not fall sick from the superbug or even know that it is on their skin.
The deadly risk factor comes if Candida auris becomes an infection through "surgical wounds or the blood from an intravenous line."
If it gets inside the body, it can affect someone's blood and organs, causing a potentially fatal condition.
The mortality rate for infected persons is 30 to 60 percent, but the percentage wavers given people who are infected are often critically ill from another condition.
DIAGNOSIS
Additionally, diagnosing Candida auris can be tough given that it mirrors symptoms of several other illnesses.
Fever, chills, headaches, and nausea are common amongst those infected by the superbug, not those colonized.
Nevertheless, tests have been developed over the past few years to differentiate between Candida auris and other sicknesses.
The first infection report came out of the United Kingdom in 2013, but experts feel that other earlier cases were misidentified.
TREATMENT
Aside from rigid and extensive cleaning and hand washing to limit the spread of the fungus, developments for its treatment have yet to yield promising returns.
Three major types of anti-fungal drugs can assist in many cases, but several Candida auris cases have resisted all three.
Health officials have stressed "close monitoring and enhanced awareness" as the future could hold more outbreaks.
These outbreaks have even been linked to the COVID-19 pandemic by some medical experts, as mechanical ventilation and extended Intensive Care Unit (ICU) stays are high-risk factors for colonization and infection.
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