Federal health officials in the United States have announced that the yeast known as "Candida Auris" has killed a few number of patients. Doctors and scientists are alarmed by the antibacterial resistant fungus which they believe the public should be aware of the facts.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that "Candida Auris" was first identified in a Japanese patient with an ear ailment back in 2009. According to Tech Times, scientists have been tracking the fungal infection which presents itself as a bloodstream infection. Now, 13 cases of the fungal infection have been recorded since 2013, and four infected patients were reported dead.
The data was released in an article published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). In June, the CDC released an alert to U.S. laboratories about the emergence of the "Candida Auris." They were requested to report all cases found to be linked to the fungal infection. Tracking the infection is necessary to help the CDC, as experts have found it challenging to identify the "Candida Auris" apart from other bugs. In fact, most of the samples in the report were initially misidentified as other fungal species.
Scientists are also alarmed when they discovered that 71 percent of the "Candida Auris" strains were resistant to all three variations of antifungal drugs. This makes the fungal infection lethal as it carries high mortality threats.
All affected patients suffered serious medical conditions such as respiratory failure, paraplegia or hematologic malignancies. The patients had been admitted to the hospital for an average of 18 days at the time of quarantine from the fungal infection. According to the National Geographic, the data shows that the biggest danger could be the rapid spread of the disease through exposure.
Patients suffering from chronic conditions are also transferred back and forth various hospital facilities. Therefore, the fungal infection could spread through caregivers and equipment that have had constant contact with the infected patients.
Tom Chiller, the chief of the CDC's mycotic disease branch, said that the "Candida Auris" is a serious threat because of the fact that it is being transferred so readily in hospitals, and has developed resistance.