Key TakeawaysThere was a spike in the fungal infection,C. auris, in healthcare settings between 2020–2021C. aurisis dangerous because it is often resistant to common antifungal medicationPeople with underlying serious medical conditions are at the highest risk of aC. aurisinfectionUniversal standard and contact precautions are the best way to prevent the spread ofC. auris
Key Takeaways
There was a spike in the fungal infection,C. auris, in healthcare settings between 2020–2021C. aurisis dangerous because it is often resistant to common antifungal medicationPeople with underlying serious medical conditions are at the highest risk of aC. aurisinfectionUniversal standard and contact precautions are the best way to prevent the spread ofC. auris
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently raised the alarm on the increased transmission ofCandida auris (C. auris)infections in U.S. healthcare facilities. While hospital-acquired infections are somewhat common, the spike of this fungal infection is concerning because it doesn’t respond to prescribed antifungal medication. This means hospitals are scrambling to control its spread.
According to the CDC, whileC. auriswas flagged as a public health threat back in 2018, cases skyrocketed between 2020 and 2021. The gold standard of treatment is a class of antifungal medications called echinocandins, which are administered intravenously. But the number ofC. auriscases resistant to echinocandins tripled in 2021.
WhileC. aurisinfections do not pose a threat to healthy individuals or the general public, it can spread easily in hospitals if standard precautions are not used.
“Although originally identified in culture of an ear infection, most reported cases ofC. aurisinvasive infections occur in hospitalized patients with significant underlying disease comorbidities,”Stanley Deresinski, MD, a clinical professor of infectious diseases at Stanford Health Care, told Verywell via email. “However, it is likely thatC. auriscauses minor infections that go unidentified.”
Here’s what you need to know aboutC. aurisprevention to keep it from escalating to a major issue.
What Are the Symptoms of a Candida Auris Infection?
How Hospitals Prevent the Spread ofCandida auris
If you find yourself or a loved one admitted to the hospital, pay attention to standard precautions being followed on a routine basis. The primary infection prevention measures for combatingC. aurisshould include the following standard precautions.
Hand Hygiene
As simple as it sounds, hand hygiene is one of the most universal ways to easily stop the spread of germs, especially in the hospital setting.
According to the CDC, alcohol-based hand sanitizer (ABHS) is the preferred hand hygiene method forC. auriswhen hands aren’t visibly soiled.However, if hands are visibly soiled, soap and warm water is required to remove spores from hands.
It is required that hospital staff clean hands before and after the following situations:
Cleaning and Disinfecting
SinceC. auriscan live on surfaces for weeks, it is critical to clean and disinfect surfaces and medical equipment continuously throughout the day.These products should be disinfectant cleaners or sprays listed on the Environmental Protection Agencies (EPA) List P, which have been proven to killC. auris.
Healthcare providers should be routinely disinfecting the following:
Data on whether “no-touch” disinfectant products, such as ultraviolet (UV light) and vaporized hydrogen peroxide, can killC. aurisis limited. These measures can be used, but only alongside proven EPA-recommended cleaning products.
Contact Precautions
While standard precautions should be followed in all healthcare facilities, another layer of infection control, called transmission-based precautions, must be followed for people with confirmed common hospital-acquired infections such asC. aurisandClostridioides difficile (C. difficile),which causes inflammation of the large intestine.
Transmission-based precautions include contact precautions. This means wearing specific personal protection equipment (PPE) like gowns, gloves, and possibly eye-wear when caring for people with a specific microbe that can be easily transmitted to someone else, such as:
Proper Patient Room Placement
Patients who are on contact precautions should also be placed in a single or private room whenever possible to minimize the spread of infection to other patients.
If single rooms are not available, putting two patients with the same infection together to help decrease the movement of healthcare personnel and shared medical equipment.
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Regular Screening
Screening patients forC. aurisis another best practice to minimize the spread in the healthcare setting.
A screening involves taking a swab sample of the armpits and groin area. The following people should be screened forC. auris:
Should the General Population be Concerned?
Since healthy people rarely develop serious infections fromC. auris,it is not a concern for the general population outside of healthcare facilities.
Deresinski points out that people with underlying serious health conditions are the ones at risk for serious and often deadly infections from theC. aurisfungus.
“In a recent analysis from a Brooklyn hospital, almost all [infected patients] had serious comorbidities such as cancer, and approximately half of patients had long IV catheters, which is the likely source of infection,” Deresinski said. “The mortality rate in patients with bloodstream infections is reported to be greater than 30%.”
However,Nasia Safdar, MD, a professor of infectious disease and health sciences learning at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, suggests asking how healthcare facilities monitor and reduce the spread ofC. auris.
“I think it is important to recognize that this is not a broad threat for the public,” Safdar told Verywell. “Because the symptoms of aC. aurisinfection are not specific and many other infections can mimic it, attention to whether specific steps are taken to diagnose it when suspected is important.”
What This Means For YouThe spread ofC. aurisis not a threat to the general population since it rarely leads to a severe infection for healthy individuals. However, if you or a loved one is admitted to a healthcare facility, it is important to understand how employees screen, monitor, and prevent the spread of hospital-acquired infections, includingC. auris.
What This Means For You
The spread ofC. aurisis not a threat to the general population since it rarely leads to a severe infection for healthy individuals. However, if you or a loved one is admitted to a healthcare facility, it is important to understand how employees screen, monitor, and prevent the spread of hospital-acquired infections, includingC. auris.
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Increasing threat of spread of antimicrobial-resistant fungus in healthcare facilities.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Infection prevention and control forCandida auris.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Candida auris:healthcare professionals FAQs.Environmental Protection Agency.List P: Antimicrobial products registered with EPA for claims against candida auris.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Candida auris: information for infection preventionists.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Screening forCandida auriscolonization.
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Increasing threat of spread of antimicrobial-resistant fungus in healthcare facilities.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Infection prevention and control forCandida auris.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Candida auris:healthcare professionals FAQs.Environmental Protection Agency.List P: Antimicrobial products registered with EPA for claims against candida auris.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Candida auris: information for infection preventionists.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Screening forCandida auriscolonization.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Increasing threat of spread of antimicrobial-resistant fungus in healthcare facilities.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Infection prevention and control forCandida auris.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Candida auris:healthcare professionals FAQs.Environmental Protection Agency.List P: Antimicrobial products registered with EPA for claims against candida auris.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Candida auris: information for infection preventionists.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Screening forCandida auriscolonization.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Increasing threat of spread of antimicrobial-resistant fungus in healthcare facilities.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Infection prevention and control forCandida auris.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Candida auris:healthcare professionals FAQs.
Environmental Protection Agency.List P: Antimicrobial products registered with EPA for claims against candida auris.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Candida auris: information for infection preventionists.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Screening forCandida auriscolonization.
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