Fungal Superbug' Raising Fears But few Candida auris cases so far in U.S.

Even when the fungus, Candida auris, is not completely resistant to the available antifungal drugs, it can be a challenge, Chiller told a symposium here at the annual IDWeek meeting, sponsored jointly by the Infectious Diseases Society of American (IDSA), the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (PIDS), the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), and the HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA). The fungus, first reported in 2009 and since seen around the world, is readily transmitted since it colonizes both the skin and the environment, but is not easily identified or treated. And like other Candida species, it can cause severe invasive disease and death. Candidemia is already the most common bloodstream infection in the U.S., Chiller said, with a 30% mortality rate. But it has usually been thought of as an "autoinfection https://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/IDWeek/68343?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-10-06&eun=g721819d0r&pos=1