Recent Outbreak of Untreatable Fungal Infection Reported in the U.S.

Outbreaks of an "untreatable" fungus have been reported recently in a Washington DC nursing home and at two hospitals in Dallas. The mode of spread is from person to patient.

It commonly affects patients admitted to hospitals and nursing homes with severe medical problems that have lines and tubes (such as breathing tubes, feeding tubes, and central venous catheters) inserted in their bodies.

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Green fungus or Aspergillosis is caused by a common mold, which exists both indoors and outdoors. Every day, people inhale Aspergillus spores, but it isn't harmful. However, it affects people who have a weak immune system. If the infection is left untreated, it can cause pneumonia.

‘Outbreaks of an "untreatable" deadly fungus have been reported recently in a Washington DC nursing home and at two hospitals in Dallas. The US health agency has termed the emerging fungus as a serious global health threat.’

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What is the Superbug Fungus?

The superbug fungus – Candida auris is a deadly form of yeast that causes severe infections and illness in patients by entering the bloodstream.

"This yeast often does not respond to commonly used antifungal drugs, making infections difficult to treat," says the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

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Diagnosis and Risk

The fungal infection is diagnosed through blood culture or other body fluids. However, it is not clear enough for a confirmed diagnosis and thereby seeks special laboratory tests for Candida auris.

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Aspergillosis is an infection caused by fungus Aspergillus, usually in people with reduced immunity. Antifungal drugs are used for treatment of Aspergillosis.

Diseases like diabetes, recent surgery, a broad-spectrum antibiotic, and antifungal use add to the risk of a fungal infection. It affects patients of all age groups, including the elderly and preterm infants.

Cases on Rise

The nursing home in Washington DC had recorded about 101 Candida auris cases that included 3 patients who were resistant to all three classes of antifungal medications. Moreover the Dallas area hospital recorded 22 infected individuals showing similar resistance to drugs.

Three out of five patients who were fully resistant to treatment had died both in Texas and one based in Washington.

"This is really the first time we’ve started seeing clustering of resistance" in which patients seemed to be getting the infections from each other, says CDC’s, Meghan Lyman.

Treatment Options for the Deadly Infection

Although most cases show good response to a class of antifungal drugs known as echinocandins, certain group shows resistant to all three main classes of antifungal medications.

Hence this adds to the difficulty of treating these cases. The rate of death due to Candida auris infections has been reported to be 30-60% by the CDC. With this evidence, the US health agency has termed the emerging fungus as a serious global health threat.

Source-Medindia