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Five cases of patients with the fungus Candida auris were reported at the University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital in Lexington, University of Kentucky HealthCare officials announced on Tuesday (October 24).
Candida auris is a type of yeast reported to be capable of causing severe illness in patients with weakened immune systems and the number of individuals diagnosed with infections have been rising at an alarming rate since it was initially reported in November 2016, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. All five cases of the drug-resistant fungus are reported to be isolated to one floor at UK Chandler Hospital.
“Currently all cases have the fungus on their skin, but it is not causing an active infection and there are no active infections with Candida auris at UK HealthCare. Our team quickly identified the pathogen and began isolation and disinfection precautions to prevent further transmission. Candida auris is a type off-fungus that can be resistant to multiple antimicrobials and is responsible for outbreaks in health care facilities across the globe,” UK HealthCare said in a statement obtained by KentuckyToday.com.
Candida auris has been tracked by the CDC since it was initially reported in the U.S. in 2013. The Kentucky Department of Public Health has reported a total of 29 cases of the fungus through 2022, which includes 22 within the past 12 months.
Candida auris can be found on the skin and throughout the body and, although it's not perceived as a threat to healthy people, an estimated one-third of individuals diagnosed have died, according to the CDC. Data shared in the CDC report showed that the number of infections increased by 59% to 756 between 2019 and 2020, as well as 95% to 1,471 in 2021.
In July 2021, the CDC announced that Candida auris had spread among patients at hospitals and long-term care facilities in Texas and Washington, D.C.