The Center for Disease Control has been tracking the emergence of a killer fungus that could pose a “serious global health threat” — and Florida is near the top of its list.
According to the CDC, Candida auris (C. auris) is a type of yeast that can cause infections by entering deep into the body, such as by the bloodstream or internal organs like the kidney, heart or brain.
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While other types of Candida normally live on skin and inside the body without causing problems, C. auris has been known to cause severe infections and spreads easily in health care centers, the CDC stated. This fungus doesn’t usually respond to antifungal drugs, making infections difficult to treat.
In tracking outbreaks of C. auris, the CDC found that Florida ranked No. 3 in the country with 349 total clinical cases reported since 2017. Nevada and California top that figure with 384 and 359 cases, respectively.
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CDC data shows that more than 30% of reported patients with invasive C. auris infections die from the affliction.
C. auris is still rare in the U.S., and it doesn’t have as much of an impact on healthy populations. Instead, people who get invasive Candida infections are usually already sick from other medical conditions.
The CDC said common symptoms of invasive C. auris infections include fever and chills that don’t abate with antibiotic treatments. However, only a laboratory test can accurately diagnose such an infection, making it difficult for health care practitioners to identify them.
For more information on C. auris, visit the CDC’s website by clicking here.
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