Candida auris fungal infections tripled in the United States between 2019 and 2021 to 1,471, including seven cases resistant to all antifungal treatments, according to CDC data reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Twenty-eight states and Washington, D.C., have reported cases since the first U.S. infection in 2013. While not a threat to healthy people, C auris infections “tend to occur in patients who have multiple or prolonged health care encounters or indwelling devices, including those receiving mechanical ventilation,” the authors note.
“The rapid rise and geographic spread of cases is concerning and emphasizes the need for continued surveillance, expanded lab capacity, quicker diagnostic tests, and adherence to proven infection prevention and control,” said Meghan Lyman, a CDC epidemiologist.
