Deadly fungal infection sweeps across U.S.

A rare and often deadly fungal species is fast spreading across the U.S., infectious-disease specialists have warned.

The fungus, a type of yeast called Candida auris, first detected in Japan in 2009, has made a comeback in the U.S., accounting for at least 2,377 infections in 2022, up from 53 in 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.

The CDC added that Candida auris cases, once mostly found in New York City and Chicago, have now been reported across at least 35 states and Washington, D.C.

The infection has a mortality rate of up to 60%, with a particular impact on older or immunologically weaker people.

Most Candida auris infections do not always lead to symptoms, but there can be severe consequences if the microbe spreads to the bloodstream, wounds, or organs. The commonest symptoms linked to Candida infection are fever and chills.

The disease transmission has so far mostly taken place in healthcare facilities that provide long-term care to severely ill patients, a group of CDC researchers said in a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine on Tuesday.

“Seeing the number of cases was alarming,” The Wall Street Journal reported citing CDC epidemiologist Dr. Meghan Lyman, the study's lead author.

While common disinfectants are unlikely to combat Candida auris, deep cleaning and special disinfectants that destroy fungal spores are required to limit its transmission, said Andrej Spec, an associate professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Pharmaceutical companies advancing treatments against Candida auris include Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and SCYNEXIS (NASDAQ:SCYX).

Cidara Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CDTX), which has also developed its antifungal treatment rezafungin to treat Candida infections, is set to hear from the FDA today regarding its marketing application for the treatment.