Cases of fungus deemed one of ‘the greatest threats to public health’ are surging, officials warn

A drug-resistant strain of fungus dubbed one of ‘the greatest threats to public health’ is surging in the US, health officials have warned. 

In a new report, CDC officials have found cases of Candida auris have increased up to 50 percent from 2022 to 2024 across US hospitals, endangering thousands of vulnerable patients with weakened immune systems.

Using samples collected from hospitals, officials detected 13,507 cases of Candida auris between 2022 and 2024. 

Cases increased from 2,882 in 2022 to 4,428 in 2023, representing a 54 percent surge. And from 2023 to 2024 there was an increase of 40 percent from 4,428 to 6,197. 

During the same time period, 27,853 screening cases – meaning patients tested positive for the fungus but had no symptoms of an active infection – were reported to the CDC. 

There were 6,226 screening cases reported in 2022, which then surged to 9,195 in 2023 and 12,432 in 2024. 

In its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) published Thursday, the CDC noted cases in 2022 increased 96 percent compared to 2021, which may be due to ‘strains on health care systems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in shortages of supplies and personnel, as well as overcrowding.’

Patients affected by severe COVID were also more likely to end up on ventilators and other complex medical equipment, where Candida auris and other fungi have been shown to colonize.  

The World Health Organization has previously listed Candida auris on its list of the 19 fungi that represent ‘the greatest threats to public health.’ The organization named Candida auris as part of its critical priority group, meaning it needs immediate research to identify treatments.

This is because the fungus is resistant to many medications, making it harder to treat and able to more easily spread around medical facilities, where patients are often immunocompromised and more vulnerable to severe infection.

Symptoms depend on the source of the infection – blood, wounds or inside the ears – but can mimic more benign conditions like the flu. 

When Candida auris spreads to the bloodstream, patients may experience fever and chills, extreme tiredness, low blood pressure and high heart rate. The fungus quickly multiplies in the bloodstream, triggering sepsis, a severe overreaction that causes the immune system to attack otherwise healthy organs and tissues.

Sepsis is responsible for one in three US hospital deaths, killing 350,000 Americans every year, or one every 90 seconds. 

The CDC report found about 30 percent of positive Candida auris samples were taken from blood. 

In wounds or the ear, Candida auris may cause redness, warmth, pain, pus and drainage. 

The mortality rate for Candida auris ranges from 30 to 70 percent overall, and about 47 percent of patients die if the fungus infiltrates their bloodstream. 

The CDC also notes detected cases of Candida auris from 2022 to 2024 were mostly in men over age 45, and the highest concentration – 28.5 percent – were in the western US. Additionally, 21.3 percent were in the Midwest and 20.2 percent were in the Southeast, with the remainder elsewhere in the country. 

According to separate CDC data updated in March, the majority of cases in 2024 – 961 – were in California, followed by 719 in Texas, 690 in Nevada, 577 in Illinois and 544 in Florida. 

No cases were reported in Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Kansas, Maine, Rhode Island, Alaska or Hawaii in 2024.

CDC officials said the increase in Candida auris ‘underscores ongoing transmission in health care settings and the importance of infection prevention and control efforts, with continued support from federal, state, and local public health partners to prevent further spread.’