Deadly Fungus Spreads in U.S. Hospitals and Care Facilities
Overview:
• Candida Auris is a drug-resistant yeast spreading quickly in hospitals and senior care homes.
• Fatal in 30–60% of cases, it targets those already seriously ill, especially patients with medical devices.
• Infections have surged from 52 in 2016 to over 4,500 in 2023, with outbreaks in California, Florida, and Georgia.
• The fungus is hard to kill, spreads easily, and survives on surfaces for weeks.
• Hospitals are stepping up screening and isolation to stop the spread.
A dangerous fungus called Candida Auris is spreading fast across U.S. hospitals and long-term care homes. It mostly affects patients who are already very sick and can be deadly. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says it kills more than 1 in 3 people who get infected. In some cases, the death rate has reached 60%.
First found in the U.S. in 2016 with only 52 cases, C. Auris has now grown to over 4,500 cases in 2023. California has seen the most infections, followed by Florida and Georgia.
“The rapid rise and geographic spread of cases is concerning,” said Dr. Meghan Lyman, a CDC expert. “It emphasizes the need for continued surveillance, expanded lab capacity, quicker diagnostic tests, and strict infection control.”
People most at risk include those in intensive care units or those using catheters, breathing tubes, or feeding tubes. These devices give the fungus an easy way to enter the body and cause serious infections in the blood or organs.
“Most of the patients that get infections with Candida Auris are themselves pretty sick to start with,” said Dr. Stuart Cohen from UC Davis. “This is something that can push people over the edge.”
C. Auris spreads through direct contact and contaminated surfaces. It can survive for weeks on objects like bed rails or medical tools and is resistant to many regular cleaning products. Hospitals must use special cleaners to remove it.
Once infected, patients can suffer from fevers, chills, sepsis, or organ failure. The CDC says the fungus is especially dangerous because it doesn’t respond to many antifungal drugs.
To slow the spread, some hospitals now screen new patients from high-risk places. Anyone who tests positive is placed in strict isolation.
“The goal is, first and foremost, to keep the people in your hospital safe,” said Cohen. “When somebody comes in for a procedure, they’re not expecting to go home with a life-threatening illness.”
C. Auris was first discovered in Japan in 2009. Unlike most yeast infections, it’s hard to detect with regular lab tests, which means delays in treatment. It can also live on the skin or surfaces, making it easy to spread even from people who show no symptoms.
Because of how hard it is to kill and treat, both the CDC and the World Health Organization have labeled C. auris a global health threat.
For updates and prevention tips, visit www.cdc.gov.
