United States: Experts at the medical facility noted new outbreaks of drug-resistant fungus within two hospitals located in the state during recent investigations. Recent records are from two hospital systems located in the state.
The medical experts reported Candida auris as their first discovery in US hospitals during 2016. The dangerous fungus detected annually reported continuous annual growth up to 2023, which produced history-high statistics according to CDC data.
Rising Threat in Hospitals
According to WJCL news, which received information from the state health department, Georgia witnessed an increase in Candida auris cases.
The article published this week documented how C. auris cases “rapidly increased” at Jackson Health System Miami.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers Candida auris an “urgent antimicrobial resistance threat” because the fungus shows resistance to anti-fungal drugs, which makes treatment of existing infections challenging.
Drug-resistant fungus an 'urgent threat' as it spreads in hospitals – Los Angeles Times https://t.co/TF25fCd4yP
— Morgan Fairchild (@morgfair) March 28, 2025
Deadly Fungus Hard to Treat
According to Melissa Nolan, an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of South Carolina, “If you get infected with this pathogen that’s resistant to any treatment, there’s no treatment we can give you to help combat it. You’re all on your own,” the Hill reported.
A healthy immune system usually overcomes infections independently; however, Candida auris spreads mostly in medical facilities where patients are unwell and defenseless.
People with catheters and breathing tubes, along with feeding tubes as well as PICC lines, face the greatest danger because this pathogen can penetrate the body through these devices.
A patient’s infection with this fungus makes it challenging to detect the pathogen causing the problems. When infected, the typical symptoms of an infection are fever and chills.
'SPREADING RAPIDLY': New cases of a dangerous, drug-resistant fungus have been identified in at least two states’ hospital systems— one being in Florida. https://t.co/Xs113hY3yK pic.twitter.com/ziyRFGnK8l
— WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) March 22, 2025
The widespread adaptation of Candida auris to exist on household items, including countertops and bed rails as well as doorknobs, makes it especially concerning for healthcare professionals.
The medical facilities that must worry about Candida auris infections extend beyond both Georgia and Florida.
As per Nolan, “It’s really good at just being, generally speaking, in the environment,” the Hill reported.
“So if you have it on a patient’s bed, for example, on the railing, and you go to wipe everything down, if in whatever way maybe a couple of pathogens didn’t get cleared, then they’re becoming resistant. And so over time, they can kind of grow and populate in that hospital environment,” the expert added.
The disease Candida auris spread to all states except 12, as there was a notable increase in infection cases during 2022 and 2023.