Expanded protocols promote early detection in high-risk patients and prevent hospital outbreaks of Candida auris.
Mount Sinai researchers have enhanced hospital screening protocols for Candida auris, an often-drug-resistant fungal pathogen the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers an urgent global health threat. These new guidelines, published in an analysis in the American Journal of Infection Control on October 31, could promote early detection of the harmful fungus in high-risk patients and prevent hospital outbreaks.
C. auris, which emerged in New York City in 2016, is a fungus that can cause serious bloodstream, wound, and ear infections. It can affect the entire body and lead to severe complications, particularly in patients with weakened immune systems. The fungal pathogen can also spread easily in health care settings since it can survive on contaminated surfaces or medical devices for several weeks.