Overview
Candida auris (C. auris) is a type of yeast that can cause serious illness and is easily spread among very ill patients in healthcare facilities. C. auris can cause a range of infections from superficial (skin) infections to more serious, life-threatening infections, such as bloodstream infections.
C. auris is often resistant to antifungal medications, meaning that the fungus develops the ability to defeat the drugs designed to kill it. This means that the bacteria are not killed and continue to grow. Resistant infections can be difficult, and sometimes impossible, to treat.
Symptoms
C. auris can cause infection in various parts of the body such as blood, wounds and ears. Symptoms of a C. auris infection depends on the location and severity of the infection. The symptoms can be similar to those of infections caused by bacteria such as fever or chills. There is not a common set of symptoms specific to C. auris infections.
C. auris in or on the body without symptoms
Patients may have C. auris on their skin and other body sites without having symptoms. Healthcare providers refer to this as ‘colonisation’. People who are colonized can spread C. auris on surfaces and objects around them and on other patients.
Risk factors
C. auris mostly affects patients with serious underlying medical conditions and those requiring complex medical treatment and invasive medical devices. Invasive medical equipment is often necessary, but creates ways to C. auris to enter the body. Examples include:
- Breathing hoses
- Feeding tube
- Catheters in a vein
- Urinary catheters
How it spreads
Patients who are infected and patients colonized with C. auris often spread it on healthcare surfaces and objects such as bed rails, doorknobs and blood pressure cuffs. C. auris can survive on surfaces and objects for a long time and spread to other patients, who can then become ill.
C. auris usually remain on a patient’s skin or body for a long time, whether or not they ever have symptoms, and they continue to be able to spread Approxurine throughout this time.
Treatment and recovery
Most stems (types) of C. auris are resistant to at least one type of antifungal medication. Fortunately, most infections can be treated with a class of antifungal medications called echinocandins.
However some C. auris strains are resistant to all three major classes of antifungal drugs, including echinocandins. There are limited data on the treatment of these infections. Health care providers can combine several antifungal drugs or try a newer pre-approved antifungal drug to treat multidrug-resistant infections.
Results
Most patients who become ill with C. auris were already very ill. When patients with C. auris die, it is difficult to know how much C. auris contributed to their death compared to other pre-existing diseases.
