Health experts are raising new concerns about a dangerous drug-resistant fungus after infections were reported in 27 states across the US.
Candida auris, or C. auris, is a potentially lethal “superbug” that is becoming harder to treat with the standard medications doctors typically rely on. As of July 25, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed more than 3,400 cases nationwide.
California has recorded the highest number of cases, with 873 reported, followed by Texas at 433 and Tennessee at 283. Every other affected state has logged fewer than 100 cases.
The CDC cautioned that the latest increase should not be interpreted as evidence that the deadly fungus is accelerating beyond expected patterns. While C. auris cases have climbed annually, the pace of growth has slowed since 2022.
Still, federal health officials said C. auris cases rose by as much as 50 percent from 2022 to 2024 in US hospitals, posing a serious threat to thousands of medically fragile patients, particularly those with weakened immune systems, according to a CDC report released in July.
Based on samples collected in hospital settings, officials identified 13,507 C. auris cases between 2022 and 2024.
Reported cases climbed from 2,882 in 2022 to 4,428 in 2023, a 54 percent jump. The following year, cases rose another 40 percent, increasing from 4,428 in 2023 to 6,197 in 2024.
During the same 2022 to 2024 period, the CDC also received roughly 27,850 screening case reports, meaning patients tested positive for the fungus but showed no signs of an active infection.
Candida auris (pictured above) is resistant to many medications, making it difficult to treat and easy to spread in hospital settings
There were 6,226 screening cases reported in 2022, which then surged to 9,195 in 2023 and 12,432 in 2024.
The World Health Organization has previously listed C. auris on its list of the 19 fungi that represent ‘the greatest threats to public health.’ The ‘superbug’ is a type of yeast that is highly contagious and can cause life-threatening infections.
The organization named C. auris as part of its critical priority group, meaning it needs immediate research to identify treatments.
This is because the fungus is resistant to many medications, making it harder to treat and able to more easily spread around medical facilities, where patients are often immunocompromised and more vulnerable to severe infection.
Symptoms depend on the source of the infection – blood, wounds or inside the ears – but can mimic more benign conditions like the flu.
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When C. auris spreads to the bloodstream, patients may experience fever and chills, extreme tiredness, low blood pressure and high heart rate.
The fungus quickly multiplies in the bloodstream, triggering sepsis, a severe overreaction that causes the immune system to attack otherwise healthy organs and tissues.
Sepsis is responsible for one in three US hospital deaths, killing 350,000 Americans every year, or one every 90 seconds.
The mortality rate for C. auris ranges from 30 to 70 percent overall, and about 47 percent of patients die if the fungus infiltrates their bloodstream.
The above CDC map, which has slightly different figures from the agency’s latest MMWR report, shows the number of Candida auris cases detected in each state in 2024
The fungus is easily spread around medical facilities, where patients are often immunocompromised and more vulnerable to severe infection
The CDC also notes detected cases of C. auris from 2022 to 2024 were mostly in men over age 45, and the highest concentration – 28.5 percent – were in the western US.
Additionally, 21.3 percent were in the Midwest and 20.2 percent were in the Southeast, with the remainder elsewhere in the country.
According to separate CDC data updated in March, the majority of cases in 2024 – 961 – were in California, followed by 719 in Texas, 690 in Nevada, 577 in Illinois and 544 in Florida.
No cases were reported in Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Kansas, Maine, Rhode Island, Alaska or Hawaii in 2024.
CDC officials said the increase in C. auris ‘underscores ongoing transmission in health care settings and the importance of infection prevention and control efforts, with continued support from federal, state, and local public health partners to prevent further spread.’
