The BBC have recently reported that a drug-resistant fungus, Candida auris, only discovered 10 years ago, is now one of the world’s most feared hospital microbes with the NHS England reporting outbreaks. Outbreaks have occurred across the world and new research shows higher temperatures may have led to an increase in infections.

Candida auris (C. auris) is a yeast, a type of fungus, which can cause infections in humans. It most frequently causes bloodstream infections, but can also infect the respiratory system, the central nervous system, internal organs as well as the skin.

Around the world, up to 60% of patients who get a C. auris infection have died. The fungus is often resistant to the usual drugs, which makes infections difficult to treat. Also, C. auris is often mistaken for a different infection, leading to the wrong treatment being given. This means that the patient might be ill for longer or get worse.

It is reported that a number of UK hospitals have already experienced outbreaks requiring support from Public Health England. Dr Elaine Cloutman-Green, infection control practitioner and UCL clinical lecturer advises: “C. auris survives in hospital environments and so cleaning is key to control. Detection can be serious for both individual patients and for the hospital, as control can prove difficult.”

The risk of contracting C. auris infection is higher if you are in a hospital for a long time or if you are in a nursing home, and patients who are in intensive care. The risk of picking up an infection is also higher if you have been on antibiotics a lot, because the drugs also destroy good bacteria that can stop C. auris getting in.

According to BBC reporting, in the UK, about 60 patients have been infected by C. auris since 2013 and resistance to common antifungal drugs has been found in the majority of C. auris strains in patients. This means that common antifungal drugs do not work on C. auris. Because of this, less common antifungal drugs have been used to treat these infections, but C. auris has now developed resistance to these treatments.  A study suggests that the reason C. auris infections have become so common may be because this species has been forced to live at higher temperatures because of climate change. Most fungi prefer the cooler temperatures found in soil. But, as global temperatures have risen, C. auris has been forced to adapt to higher temperatures which has made it easier for the fungus to thrive in the human body which is warm.

The BBC report has advised that the following can be undertaken to try to reduce the number of infections

• A better knowledge or understanding of who is most at risk of contracting a C. auris infection which should reduce the number of infections.
• Healthcare professionals need to be aware that people who spend a long time in hospitals, in nursing homes or are immunocompromised are at high risk of contracting infections
• auris is sometimes mistaken for other fungal infections, like thrush, and the wrong treatment is given. Improving diagnosis will help to identify patients with C. auris earlier, which will mean that the right treatment is given – preventing the spread of infection to other patients
• Using the right cleaning chemicals is important to eliminate it from hospitals, especially if there is an outbreak. C. auris is very tough and can survive on surfaces for a long time. It cannot be killed using most common detergents and disinfectants.

If you have suffered from an infection contracted in a hospital or nursing home setting or have experienced a delay in diagnosis or incorrect treatment of an infection, please contact our experienced medical negligence team at HHD – fionasterritt@hhdsolicitors.com and laurenjones@hhdsolicitors.com.

Lauren Jones