by Xinhua writer Tan Jingjing

LOS ANGELES, April 21 (Xinhua) -- Candida auris (C. auris), an emerging fungus which can cause deadly bloodstream and infections in people with weakened immune systems, has presented a serious global health threat, said a leading expert at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In a recent phone interview with Xinhua, Tom Chiller, chief of the Mycotic Diseases Branch, said the CDC has categorized the infection as a "urgent threat", and is alerting U.S. healthcare facilities about the "superbug" on the rise nationwide.

Currently, there are 617 clinical cases of C. auris reported in the United States as of Feb. 28, including 587 confirmed and 30 probable cases, according to the CDC.

By April 17, the first two pan-resistant U.S. cases have been reported through Anti-fungal Susceptibility Testing and Interpretation.

Most C. auris cases in the United States have been detected in the New York City area, New Jersey, and the Chicago area.

According to Chiller, the CDC has identified C. auris as a "urgent threat" for three main reasons. Firstly, it is highly drug-resistant, which means it is resistant to multiple antifungal drugs commonly used to treat Candida infections.

Secondly, it is transmitted in healthcare facilities. For this reason, it is important to quickly identify C. auris in a hospitalized patient so that healthcare facilities can take special precautions to stop its spread.

Thirdly, it is difficult to identify with standard laboratory methods, and it can be misidentified in labs without specific technology. Misidentification may lead to inappropriate management.

Calling C. auris a new fungus emerged in recent 10 years, Chiller said it was first identified in 2009 in Japan. Scientists had no idea of this fungus before, and it had been named only after 2009.

Since 2016, increasing numbers of infections have been reported from various American states, and from over 20 countries.

According to the CDC, 30 to 60 percent of people with C. auris infections have died. However, many of those people had other serious illnesses that also increased their risk of death.

Those infected were mostly treated in intensive care units, and had medical exposure for a long time, Chiller said.

"They were very sick before they got infected C. auris. It is hard to say they were died of the infection. More accurately, they died with the infection," he said.

According to Chiller, most C. auris infections are treatable with a class of anti-fungal drugs called echinocandins. However, some C. auris infections have been resistant to all three main classes of anti-fungal medications, making them more difficult to treat.

Early identification of the infection is essential for effective treatment, he added.

As for the reason for the multi-drug resistance, Chiller said the overuse, misuse and non-appropriate use of antibiotics may contribute to the causes.

At least 18 people in China are known to have been infected with C. auris so far, he said.

Chiller said China just started to identify first few cases, and should continue to look for more cases, in order to control the spread of the infection and treat the infected as early as possible.

He said the infection would not pose threats to healthy people, as it always hits those with severe sickness. There is no need for the public to worry about it. Enditem

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