By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-08-06 18:36:55 | Updated at 2026-08-06 21:08:37
2 hours ago
Recent data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that cases of a potentially deadly and drug-resistant fungus have been found in at least 27 states across the country in 2026, although it’s at a lower pace than last year’s figures.
As of the week ending on July 25, 3,437 cases of Candida auris, or C. auris, have been detected across the country. That’s around 1,000 fewer cases of the fungus detected around the same time in 2024, when 4,290 cases were reported, according to the agency’s data.
Meanwhile, 6,304 new clinical cases of C. auris were reported in the United States in 2024, the data showed.
The most cases were reported in California, with 873, while Texas reported 433 and Tennessee reported 283 cases, respectively, the latest figures show.
The CDC has said that since 2022, the rate of increase in C. auris cases has slowed. However, the number of cases continues to rise each year.
Described as “multidrug resistant” by the CDC, C. auris is considered to be potentially deadly and spreads quickly in healthcare settings.
Those who are already very sick generally get infected, such as “patients with severe underlying medical conditions who require complex medical care,” and those with breathing tubes, catheters, feeding tubes, and similar procedures are at a higher risk of developing the fungal infection.
The health agency further noted that some patients with weakened immune systems receive antibiotics or antifungals before or after surgery, which can lower the body’s immune system response and increase the risk of developing a C. auris infection “or colonization.”
A person colonized with C. auris might not know they are infected, because the fungus doesn’t cause symptoms; healthcare providers and patients should be screened.
“Patients who are infected and patients who are colonized can spread C. auris onto nearby surfaces or objects,” the CDC said on its website.
“Examples include doorknobs, bedrails, and medical equipment used for multiple patients. Other patients can get C. auris through contact with these items.”
Underscoring its resistance to medications, a CDC paper published in 2026 found that more than 95 percent of 8,033 C. auris samples collected in 2022 and 2023 showed resistance to the antifungal drug fluconazole.
Another 15 percent were resistant to amphotericin B, another antifungal drug, and 1 percent were resistant to echinocandins, according to the paper. However, fewer than 1 percent displayed resistance to all three antifungal drugs.
“Our findings highlight the persistence of C. auris as a multidrug-resistant threat requiring sustained investment in laboratory capacity for early detection and response,” the authors wrote in February.
Health officials say that symptoms of C. auris depend on where the infection is located, including ear infections, wound infections, urinary tract infections, or bloodstream infections that spread to the rest of the body, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
More specifically, symptoms can include fever, chills, lethargy, low blood pressure, a high heart rate, low body temperature, or ear pain and pressure, according to the clinic. If it spreads to the blood, the clinic says, complications such as sepsis, organ failure, or shock could occur.
