Candida auris

Excerpt

Candida auris is an emerging pathogen that results in nosocomial infections and is considered a serious global health problem. It was first observed as a novel Candida species in 2009 and has been isolated in 35 countries, except Antarctica.

C. auris may cause invasive infections associated with high mortality. It is considered a multi-drug resistant species, having variable resistance patterns to many typical antifungal agents used to treat other Candida infections. In recent years, the rising prevalence of infection and colonization with non-albicans Candida species is thought to be due to the excessive use of prophylactic antifungals such as fluconazole. Yeast identification methods employed by laboratories typically misidentify C. auris as other yeasts making the detection and control of this pathogen difficult. The transmission of Candida auris occurs in nosocomial settings, even in those implementing infection prevention and control measures. In the United States, it is a nationally notifiable pathogen that allows for public health tracking and containing its spread.