Infections with the fungus ‘Candida auris’a super-resistant microorganism to drugs and potentially deadly, grew dramatically in the United States between 2019 and 2021, according to a study published Monday in the specialized journal ‘Annals of Internal Medicine‘.
Specifically, the researchers warn of the increase in cases that are resistant to echinocandins, the main drug used to treat infections with the Candida fungus.
These types of cases were three times more frequent in 2021 than in the previous two years, according to the study, which analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as those collected by health authorities at the local and state level.
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The data show an increase in the percentage growth of infections with ‘Candida auris’, which went from 44% in 2019 to 95% in 2021.
For the researchers, who work for the CDC, the increase may be related to the difficulties that the covid-19 pandemic has produced in the health system, such as a shortage of toilets or the use of more antimicrobial drugs.
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The report emphasizes that the ‘Cándida auris’, which was detected for the first time in the US in 2016is listed as “urgent threat” by CDCdue to its resistance to drugs and its high mortality rate.
most of cases occur in health centersespecially among patients who have been hospitalized for a long time or who are connected to mechanical ventilators, the authors explain.