The CDC’s Lyman said it’s possible the fungus was always among the microorganisms that live in the human body, but because it wasn’t causing infection, no one investigated until it recently started causing health problems. She noted that while screenings and surveillance have improved, the skyrocketing case numbers do reflect a true increase.

“The number of cases has increased, but also the geographic distribution has increased,” Lyman said. In Europe, a survey last year found case numbers nearly doubled from 2020 to 2021. But Candida auris is becoming a global problem. In the U.S., there were 2,377 confirmed clinical cases diagnosed last year - an increase of over 1,200% since 2017. Now, most cases are acquired locally - generally spreading among patients in healthcare settings. When Candida auris was first spreading, said Meghan Marie Lyman, a CDC medical epidemiologist for the mycotic diseases branch, the cases were linked to people who had traveled to the U.S. However, if the world is getting warmer and the fungi begin to adapt to higher temperatures as well, some … are going to reach what I call the temperature barrier,” Casadevall said, referring to the way mammals’ warm body temperatures historically protected them. “We have tremendous protection against environmental fungi because of our temperature.

New York state remains a major hotspot.Ī prominent theory for the sudden explosion of Candida auris, which was not found in humans anywhere until 2009, is climate change. Last year, the most cases were found in Nevada and California, but the fungus was identified clinically in patients in 29 states. Its mortality rate has been estimated at 30% to 60%, and it’s a particular risk in healthcare settings for people already with serious medical problems. And until 2021, the state recorded the most confirmed cases in the country year after year, even as the illness has spread to other places, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data analyzed by The Associated Press.Ĭandida auris is a globally emerging public health threat that can cause severe illness, including bloodstream, wound and respiratory infections. In the years since, New York City has emerged as ground zero for Candida auris infections. Research laboratories quickly mobilized to review historical specimens and found the fungus had been present in the country since at least 2013. SEATTLE (AP) - In 2016, hospitals in New York state identified a rare and dangerous fungal infection never before found in the United States.

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