Candida auris

Candida auris is an emerging fungus that can be a problem due to emergence of multi-drug resistant strains, and its potential to cause serious disease.

A strain of Candida auris cultured in a petri dish at a CDC laboratory.

1. It is often multidrug-resistant, meaning that it is resistant to multiple antifungal drugs commonly used to treat Candida infections. Some strains are resistant to all three available classes of antifungals.
2. It is difficult to identify with standard laboratory methods, and it can be misidentified in labs without specific technology. Misidentification may lead to inappropriate management.
3. It has caused outbreaks in healthcare settings.
4. For this reason, it is important to quickly identify C. auris in a hospitalized patient so that healthcare facilities can take special precautions to stop its spread.

Candida auria infections world distribution

Candida auria infections world distribution

Emerging threat

Candida auris is an emerging fungus that presents a serious global health threat. CDC is concerned about C. auris for three main reasons:

Drug resistance

It is often multidrug-resistant, meaning that it is resistant to multiple antifungal drugs commonly used to treat Candida infections. Some strains are resistant to all three available classes of antifungals. It is difficult to identify with standard laboratory methods, and it can be misidentified in labs without specific technology. Misidentification may lead to inappropriate management. It has caused outbreaks in healthcare settings. For this reason, it is important to quickly identify C. auris in a hospitalized patient so that healthcare facilities can take special precautions to stop its spread.

A scheme for the possible factors operating on the emergence of Candida auris

A scheme for the possible factors operating on the emergence of Candida auris

Susceptibility testing

All Candida auris isolates should undergo antifungal susceptibility testing according to CLSI guidelines. Although C. auris is commonly multidrug resistant, levels of antifungal resistance can vary widely across isolates.

Susceptibility break points

There are currently no established C. auris-specific susceptibility breakpoints. Therefore, breakpoints are defined based on those established for closely related Candida species and on expert opinion.

Recommendations for treatment of Candida auris infections

Consultation with an infectious disease specialist is highly recommended when caring for patients with C. auris infection.