A dangerous form of yeast fungus identified as Candida Auris is currently making its way through and negatively impacting those staying at nursing homes and hospitals with medical issues. Some of the victims had intrusive fungal infections resistant to all major types of medications, hence it being deemed a superbug. A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that these outbreaks were present specifically at a nursing home in Washington, DC and two hospitals in the Dallas area.
The Dangers of the Fungus
Candida Auris is most dangerous to those with serious medical issues as they are already prone to attack. On top of this, it is most deadly when it is able to enter the bloodstream, heart, or brain, says ABC 7. Outbreaks in and around healthcare facilities have been stimulated when the fungus spread through contaminated surfaces or patient contact. Health officials have been worried about the superbug once it was made clear that commonly used drugs and medicines were having a decreased effect.
Three cases rose up in New York back in 2019, in which the fungi were resistant to echinocandins, often considered the last line of defense when it came to medications. In these situations and the like, there wasn’t any infection seen spreading from patient to patient, and as a result the problem was put on the backburner, but the new cases did indeed spread according to the CDC.
The Spread of the Fungus
A nursing home in Washington, DC that focused mostly on very ill patients was subject to an outbreak of C. Auris, in which some patients had fungi resistant to all three types of antifungal drugs. On top of this cluster of 101 cases in the nursing home, another 22 cases were found in two separate Dallas hospitals with a resistance of similar level, says The Science Times. These cases were observed for the majority of the first half of this year, and of the give individuals who were completely resistant to treatment, three have died. Two of the victims were in Dallas, and the final one in Washington.
The CDC report also continues mentioning both cases are considered ongoing outbreaks and additional contagions have been identified since the cases observed earlier this year. CBS News reports investigators examining medical record and not being able to find evidence of previous antifungal use among patients in such clusters, leading to believe that the fungus is spreading from person to person.
Coronavirus could be Furthering the Spread
The COVID-19 pandemic possibly could have accelerated the spread of C. Auris according to infectious disease specialists, reported The New York Times. The lack of personal protective equipment has hobbled healthcare workers during the health crisis that is the pandemic, and therefore increased the number of opportunities for the transmission of the fungus to a multitude of patients in a short period of time.
Infection control initiatives at most healthcare systems are lacking resources and are being stretched thin in terms of manpower. Because of this, chaos is amok in hospitals throughout the country, preventing proper attention from being given to the issue of this resistant fungal disease.