The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the dangerous yeast Candida auris has now appeared in 27 US states this year. Weakened immunity increases vulnerability to such fungi, while growing resistance to drugs and the absence of reliable vaccines or therapies have raised alarms.
Candida auris, or C. auris, is a yeast capable of causing serious disease. The CDC notes it spreads readily among severely ill patients in medical facilities. Listed by the World Health Organization as a critical fungal threat, it triggers various infections. The pathogen blocks white blood cells from producing reactive nitrogen species needed to fight microbes, resulting in skin issues and dangerous bloodstream infections.
Health officials recorded 3,437 confirmed cases by 25 July, down roughly 1,000 from 4,290 in the same period last year. California led with 873 cases, followed by Texas with 433 and Tennessee with 283, according to CDC figures cited by ABC.
Although annual totals keep rising, the pace of growth has eased since 2022. Therefore, higher reported numbers do not indicate faster transmission.
First identified in 1996 by researchers in Korea and formally named in Japan in 2009, the yeast passes through direct contact with infected or colonized individuals or via contaminated surfaces such as doorknobs, bed rails and shared devices. It survives on objects for long periods.
Mortality estimates range from 30 to 60 percent, yet the CDC states it is difficult to separate the fungus contribution from other existing conditions. Most affected patients were already seriously ill. Healthy individuals face low risk; those with compromised immune systems remain most vulnerable.
A CDC review of 8,033 samples from 2022-2023 showed over 95 percent resistant to fluconazole, 15 percent resistant to amphotericin B, 1 percent resistant to echinocandins, and under 1 percent resistant to all three drug classes.
