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Drug-resistant ‘super fungus’ found in US state for the first time

A drug-resistant “super” fungus has been discovered in the US state of Mississippi for the first time, health officials have said.

 

Computer illustration of the unicellular fungus Candida auris - KATERYNA KON/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRA© KATERYNA KON/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRA

Seven patients were being treated for Candida auris (C. auris) as of Monday, according to officials from the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC).

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention warns that C. auris is “an emerging fungus that presents a serious global health threat”.

The infection, which is highly contagious and resistant to multiple antifungal drugs, can cause severe illness in people already being treated for multiple serious or chronic health conditions.

“This is the first time we’ve had a locally acquired case in Mississippi,” said Dr Bhagyashri Navalkele, an associate professor in the UMMC Division of Infectious Diseases. “The public needs to be aware that we are seeing this fungus.”

In the US, most cases of C. auris result from local spread within and among healthcare facilities in the same city or state.

The fungus in Mississippi is reported to have been acquired at a long-term, acute care facility. 

Silent carriers

When classifying cases, health officials have to distinguish between infections and “colonisations,” which refers to the presence of microorganisms that have not yet caused infection.

“Colonisation means you could be a silent carrier of the fungus, and it can be an active infection later on,” Dr Navalkele said. 

“If you are identified as colonised, you need to make sure that your health care team knows about this so that they can immediately start isolation precautions and initiate appropriate treatment when infection is suspected.”

Out of Mississippi's seven patients, two had been confirmed as infected, two were colonised, and three had been exposed to C. auris.

C. auris is often multidrug-resistant, meaning that it is resistant to numerous antifungal drugs commonly used to treat Candida infections. Some strains are resistant to all three available classes of antifungals.

The fungus is difficult to identify with standard laboratory methods, and it can be misidentified in labs without specific technology.

Across the US, cases of C. auris appear to have risen over the past decade. Between 2013 and 2016, just 63 cases were reported in four states, according to data from the CDC. In 2022, 1,440 cases had been identified in 22 states by September 30, the figures showed. 

Reference: Story by Samuel Lovett •