‘It’s the first time that a fungus behaves like a bacteria’

In some patients, the fungus can enter the bloodstream and spread throughout the body causing serious, and sometimes deadly, invasive infections. A potentially deadly fungus has been detected in dozens of states, including Ohio. The CDC calls it an urgent threat, and if an infection is left undetected and untreated it can spread to the bloodstream and cause death. Doctors said it is not as viral as other infections and thanks to COVID people are better prepared to avoid it.

By: Valerie Lyons Posted at 7:21 AM, Mar 23, 2023 and last updated 6:51 AM, Mar 23, 2023

CINCINNATI — A potentially deadly fungus is spreading across the U.S. and Ohio is among the states with the worst infection rates.

The fungus, called Candida auris, (C. auris) is a new species of the Candida yeast, which is the most common cause of fungal infections worldwide.

The CDC is listing the fungus as an urgent threat because of its resistance to most drug treatments currently on the market, which makes it significantly hard to treat. It is also difficult to identify with standard lab testing and often requires specific technology to detect it.

“Absolutely, it’s an urgent threat because it’s the first time that a fungus behaves like a bacteria,” said Dr. Mahmoud Ghannoum.

Ghannoum is world’s leading expert on fungal diseases. He is a Professor and Director of the Center for Medical Mycology at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland.

C. auris was first identified in 2009 in Japan and increasing numbers of infection have been found in multiple countries since. It was first identified in the U.S. in 2013.

“Because of the new technology we are using to identify this organism, we are seeing it more and more,” Ghannoum said.

The fungus spread at an alarming rate in U.S. health care facilities and nursing homes in 2020-21, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The fungus has caused bloodstream infections, wound infections and ear infections. Based on information from a limited number of patients, 30–60% of people with C. auris infections have died. However, many of these people had other serious illnesses that also increased their risk of death, according to the CDC.

In general, C. auris is not a threat to healthy people, however.

“This fungus can live on the skin of people and therefore it can act as a nidus of infection. In other words, it can spread from one person to the other,” Ghannoum said. “It can live on sheets, surfaces in the hospital, the hands of health care providers. They have sometimes to close off hospital wards because of contamination.”

In the past 12 months, cases were recorded in 28 states, including Ohio. The Buckeye state reported the 10th highest number of cases with 79.

The highest numbers were reported in California, Florida, Illinois, Nevada, New York and Texas, all of which saw more than 100 cases each last year.

Based on data recorded from 2020-2022, Ohio saw 285 C. auris cases. Hamilton County had the most in the state with 212.

The most common symptoms of C. auris are fevers and chills. Ghannoum said if patients are given antibiotics and they do not improve after several days, their health care provider should consider testing for the fungus.

According to the CDC, there are several measures of prevention including proper hygiene and proper cleaning and disinfecting of patient care environments.