A drug-resistant fungal infection that federal health officials classify as an “urgent” threat is now being detected across much of the United States — and its ordinary, flu-like warning signs can make it especially hard to recognize.
The dangerous fungus, called Candida auris, has been reported in 23 states, with more than 3,000 cases recorded so far this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many of the infections have surfaced in hospitals and nursing homes, where vulnerable patients face the greatest risk.
“The rapid emergence around the world and the speed of spread in the U.S. is alarming,” Susan Huang, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of California Irvine School of Medicine, told Healthline.com.
Huang added that people should pay attention to the growing concern, particularly if they or loved ones spend time in health care facilities where the superbug is more likely to circulate.
Candida auris is a form of yeast that can enter the bloodstream and move through the body, causing severe illness. Some estimates suggest it has been linked to death in as many as 60% of people who become infected.
The fungus can spread through direct contact with an infected person or by touching contaminated surfaces where the organism is present.
Adding to the concern, some strains have shown resistance to every major class of antifungal medication, prompting the CDC to label Candida auris an “urgent antimicrobial resistance threat.”
Symptoms vary depending on where the infection develops, but they often include fever, chills and fatigue — vague signs that can easily be mistaken for more common illnesses and delay diagnosis.
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Other symptoms include low body temperature and high heart rate, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Texas has had the most cases of the fungus this year with 706, followed by Michigan with 503, and Illinois with 366, according to the most recent available CDC data, released last month.
None were reported this year in New York, but 166 cases were found in New Jersey.
People in hospitals and other health care settings face the highest risk of becoming infected, health officials said.
The fungus is believed to be able to survive on surfaces for weeks at a time before spreading to people in medical facilities through IVs and breathing tubes.
“[It’s] is a growing problem among chronically ill persons in nursing homes and hospitals. It is not a problem among the general public,” William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, told Healthline.com
“Identifying infected patients and caring for them in an isolation room is also important to curtail spread,” he said.
Researchers have estimated estimated that 30–60% of people with Candida auris illnesses have died, though many of them also had other sicknesses that increased their risk of fatality.
People with healthy immune systems don’t tend to get sick from the fungus, but can transmit it to others. An infected person may be able to transmit the disease up to several months after they’ve recovered from the illness.
The fungus was identified in Japan in 2009 and was first reported in the United States in 2016.
