Cleveland, Ohio — Candida auris, a drug-resistant fungal infection that can easily spread and kill in hospitals and nursing homes, is on the rise in Ohio.
Nationwide surveillance data show that Candida auris cases tripled from 2019 to 2021, and treatment-resistant cases are also on the rise.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 79 cases of Candida auris (also known as Candida auris) in Ohio by the end of 2022. Since then, however, recent data from the Ohio Department of Health show a spike of 416 cases by mid-March.
Looking at Cuyahoga County and surrounding areas, 101 cases were counted in Cuyahoga County, 4 in Summit County, and 4 in Lorain County. No other cases of this fungal infection have been documented in other Greater Cleveland counties. According to state health data.
By December, there were over 8,000 cases across the United States.
Because it remains on the surface, spreads by contact, and is difficult to treat and detect, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently rated Candida auris an urgent threat, making it the highest level of concern for the agency.
“In Ohio, there aren’t that many right now, but it could spread very quickly. Mahmud Ghanum, He is Professor of Dermatology and Pathology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and Director of the University Hospital’s Center for Medical Mycology.
“It’s very difficult to diagnose this organism,” Ghannoum said. “It might be there, but people don’t know it.”
State health officials urge you to wash your hands frequently when visiting loved ones in health care facilities, postpone visits if you are sick, and ask health care providers to use hand hygiene (hand washing or use of hand sanitizer) when entering the room. ).
Candida auris primarily affects humans People with other medical conditions, especially those who are frequently hospitalized or live in nursing homes. Ohio Department of Health.
Fungi can be transmitted through contact with contaminated surfaces or medical equipment, or through person-to-person spread. It can live on surfaces for up to two weeks.
According to federal health officials, the mortality rate is 30% to 60%.
“In some patients, this yeast can enter the bloodstream and spread throughout the body, causing serious invasive infections,” the CDC said. “Patients who have been hospitalized for a long time in a health care facility, who have central venous catheters or other lines or tubes inserted into their body, or who have been previously treated with antibiotics or antifungals, are susceptible to this yeast. They seem to be at the highest risk of being infected.”
Other risk factors include recent diabetes, recent surgery, and use of antibiotics and antifungals. Infections have been found in patients of all ages, from premature infants to the elderly, according to federal health data.
“If you have an underlying medical condition, that’s a big problem,” Ghannoum said.
The Facts Candida Auris Does Ghannoum said it is difficult to treat because it does not respond to many antifungal drugs.
The Ohio Department of Health is working closely with health departments and medical facilities in areas where Candida auris has been identified to conduct enhanced cleaning and screening to identify asymptomatic people, the department said. rice field.
Gunnoum and research team Recently received a $3 million grant Find out how to treat and prevent Candida auris infections from the National Institutes of Health.
The five-year grant will allow a team led by Case Western Reserve School of Medicine and University Hospital to evaluate an antifungal drug developed by a New Jersey-based biotechnology company.
Ghannoum is the principal investigator of this study. Thomas McCormick, Associate Professor of Dermatology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and Department of Dermatology, University Hospital, is also leading the research team.
Candida auris It was first detected in the United States in 2016 and has since been detected in at least 25 states. The number of cases started to rise in 2021, likely due to the disruption to the healthcare system due to COVID-19. According to the CDC.
when first discovered The case seems to have been imported from overseas. But these days, medical infections are responsible for “most, if not all, cases,” the CDC said in a recent paper.
Candida auris More difficult to identify than other more common types fungus. To identify it, a special laboratory blood test is required. People may have this fungus on their skin, but there are no symptoms of infection.
binaural candida and C.diff — also known as Clostridioides difficile — can spread easily in healthcare facilities and contaminate frequently touched surfaces. But the two infections are caused by different organisms and have different treatments, health experts said.
Julie Washington is cleveland.com. read Link to previous article. again:
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