CDC Warns of Superbug Fungus Outbreaks in 2 Cities

While C. auris has long been notoriously difficult to treat, researchers have for the first time identified five patients in Texas and Washington DC whose infections did not respond to any of the three main classes of antifungal drugs. So-called panresistance was previously reported in three patients treated for C. auris in New York, but health officials said the newly reported panresistant infections occurred in patients who had never taken antifungal medication. clerk at the CDC specializing in fungal diseases.

“The thing about it is that at-risk patients are no longer the small population of people who have infections and are already being treated with these drugs,” he said.

Infectious disease experts say the coronavirus pandemic possibly accelerated spread of the fungus. NS shortcomings They say personal protective equipment that inhibits healthcare workers in the early months of the epidemic increases opportunities for fungal transmission, especially among thousands of Covid-19 patients exposed to invasive mechanical ventilation.

The chaos of recent months hasn’t helped either. Dr. “Infection control efforts in most healthcare systems are weak at the best of times, but with so many Covid patients, resources that may have gone to infection control have been diverted,” Clancy said.

For many healthcare professionals, the appearance of a pan-resistant C. auris is a solemn reminder of the threats posed by C. auris. antimicrobial Resistance from superbugs like MRSA to antibiotic-resistant salmonella. Such infections sicken 2.8 million Americans annually and kill 35,000. according to HKM.

NYU/Langone Health chief epidemiologist Dr. Michael S. Phillips said health systems across the country are struggling to contain the spread of such pathogens. He said the problem is particularly acute in big cities like New York, where seriously ill patients travel back and forth between nursing homes. loose infection control and world-class medical centers that often attract patients from the wider region.

“We need to do a better job of surveillance and infection control, especially where we put patients in group settings,” he said. “Candida auris is something we should be worried about, but we can’t miss the big picture because there are a lot of drug resistant insects out there that we have to worry about.”