AurisID

Background
Over the past decade, Candida auris has emerged as a worldwide public health threat. Since its first isolation in 2009 in Japan, C. auris infections have been reported in over 30 countries. Together with the increasing number of infections, this fungus is a cause of concern for three main reasons. First, C. auris easily proliferates in hospitals and has the potential to cause outbreaks in healthcare settings. Secondly, it is often resistant to multiple antifungal drugs commonly used to treat Candida infections, such as Fluconazole, and thirdly, it is often challenging to identify with standard laboratory methods.

C. auris has been isolated from various clinical specimens, including normally sterile body fluids, respiratory sections, ear canal, biliary fluid, urine, wounds and mucocutaneous swabs. Bloodstream infections (BSI) are the most commonly observed invasive infections, and, alarmingly, the mortality rates reported are in the range of 30-60%. BSI are particularly dangerous in immunocompromised and critically ill patients, with the highest risk being for patients with breathing tubes, feeding tubes and central venous catheters.

C. auris can spread in healthcare settings through contact with contaminated environmental surfaces or equipment, or from person to person, and implications of outbreaks can be dramatic (e.g., closing entire hospital departments). Therefore, surveillance and screening for C. auris colonization are essential to implement infection prevention.