Drug Resistant Infection Makes Its Way Across the Globe

Candida Auris is a drug resistant infection that is quietly making its way across the globe.

Candida Auris is drug resistant and is making its way across the globe.

(Photo: iStockphoto)

Candida Auris is a fungus that preys on people with weak immune systems and is making its way across the globe and taking root in countries like India, Pakistan, United States, United Kingdom and South Africa among others.

This fungus is highly drug resistant and it can stay on infected areas for extended periods of time. According to an article by The New York Times, C. Auris is extremely invasive, so much so that certain parts of the ceiling and floor had to be taken out in order to treat the room of a man who was infected with the fungus. All the equipment in the room along with the mattresses and sheets tested positive for the fungus.

According to doctors, the symptoms of the infection are that of the common flu, including fever, body ache and fatigue.

This infection mostly goes unnoticed and its resistance to anitbiotics makes it even more difficult to treat. People with weakened immune systems like old people, diabetics, people with auto-immune diseases are more likely to contract this fungus. Most patients die within 90 days of being diagnosed with Candida Auris.

According to doctors and scientists, overuse of antibiotics has reduced the effectiveness of drugs and thereby led to the formation of drug resistant infections. These infections which are immune to drugs are known as ‘superbugs’.

According to a report by the US Centre for Disease Control, the yeast can enter the bloodstream and is most commonly found in hospitalized patients. The infection has been found in wounds, bloodstreams and in the ear, traces of the infection have also been found in urine and the respiratory tract. Moreover, it is difficult to identify with standard laboratory tests and can be mismanaged or misidentified if not diagnosed properly.

In 2015, the C. Auris caused a British medical center to shut down its intensive care unit after the infection started spreading like wildfire. No public announcement however was made in order to alert the people of the mysterious infection. Most hospitals and medical centers do not disclose details of outbreak with the fear of being seen as the infection hub. The Candida Auris hence remains very little known to the public.

Although the emergence and the origin of the infection still remains unknown, the infection has infected and thousands and claimed many lives. This drug resistant fungus is proof of the fact that certain infections continue to thrive and remain unaffected by anti-fungal drugs.