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Review
. 2018 Oct 29:6:69.
doi: 10.1186/s40560-018-0342-4. eCollection 2018.

Epidemiology, clinical characteristics, resistance, and treatment of infections by Candida auris

Affiliations
Review

Epidemiology, clinical characteristics, resistance, and treatment of infections by Candida auris

Andrea Cortegiani et al. J Intensive Care. .

Abstract

Candida spp. infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. Candida auris is an emerging multi-drug-resistant fungus that is rapidly spreading worldwide. Since the first reports in 2009, many isolates across five continents have been identified as agents of hospital-associated infections. Independent and simultaneous outbreaks of C. auris are becoming a major concern for healthcare and scientific community. Moreover, laboratory misidentification and multi-drug-resistant profiles, rarely observed for other non-albicans Candida species, result in difficult eradication and frequent therapeutic failures of C. auris infections. The aim of this review was to provide an updated and comprehensive report of the global spread of C. auris, focusing on clinical and microbiological characteristics, mechanisms of virulence and antifungal resistance, and efficacy of available control, preventive, and therapeutic strategies.

Keywords: Antifungal resistance; Antimicrobial resistance; C. auris; Candida; Candidemia; Invasive fungal infection.

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Conflict of interest statement

Not applicable.Not applicable.The authors declare that they have no competing interests.Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Phylogenetic tree obtained by neighbor-joining analysis of the D1-D2 region of genes encoding Candida auris 26S rRNA and correlated species
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Timeline chart of C. auris reported cases. The reports from the European Centre for Diseases Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are ongoing
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Worldwide distribution of C. auris reported cases

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