Deadly Drug-Resistant Fungus Spreading Worldwide, New Indian Study Warns

A new Indian study has said the drug-resistant fungal species Candida auris is turning deadlier and spreading globally. Candida auris can lead to serious illness, and some strains are resistant to multiple

drugs. It is hard to treat and spreads in hospitals or long-term care facilities. The study, led by researchers from the Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute, University of Delhi, in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health from the United States, has shown that invasive fungal infections are spreading across the globe and gaining in virulence. Researchers say the fungus is affecting more than 6 million people every year. These infections are frequently associated with high mortality rates, often exceeding 50 per cent, even with antifungal therapy. “C. auris has developed wily cellular strategies to survive, including morphogenesis in its ability to switch from yeast growth to filament-driven spread, as well as forming multicellular aggregates, and also switching its phenotypic genetic expression in response to its changing environment,” said the team in the paper published in the journal Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews. The fungus is also extremely successful in colonizing human skin, with the molecular evidence showing so far that the proteins of the cell wall attach like a kind of glue to mammalian cells—and even non-living surfaces. Candida auris causes:

• Ear infections
• Wound infections
• Urinary tract infections
• Infections in your blood that spread to the rest of your body

Unlike other species of Candida, experts don’t think C. auris lives naturally on your body. You get it from contaminated surfaces or from other people who have a C. auris infection. Most people without underlying health conditions aren’t at risk for C. auris infections. Furthermore, C. auris-colonised patients are at risk of developing more serious systemic infections, the team said. While the host develops mechanisms to battle C. auris, the science so far indicates the germ can develop proactive ways to evade the immune response. Diagnostics also remain a challenge, since most conventional lab tests lead to misidentification as other related yeasts, which delays and complicates treatment.

Signs and symptoms of a Candida auris infection?

A few symptoms of a C. auris infection depend on where in your body the fungus infects. Some symptoms could include:

• Fever
• Chills
• Lethargy or extreme tiredness
• Low blood pressure
• High heart rate or tachycardia
• Low body temperature or hypothermia
• Pain, pressure, or feeling of fullness in your ear

Since many people who get C. auris infections are already seriously ill, symptoms of C. auris may not be noticeable. Many people carrying C. auris don’t have symptoms but can still pass it to someone else.

How does C. auris spread?

You get a C. auris infection from contact with someone who has it, even if they have no symptoms, or from a contaminated surface. In healthcare settings, infections can pass from person to person or through contaminated medical equipment. It can also infect you through a medical device in your body, like a central venous line or breathing tube.