Serious threat Aggressive yeast Candida auris first found in Austria

Candida auris: Resistant yeast fungus detected in patient in Austria

In Austria, infection with the yeast Candida auris has been detected for the first time. According to health experts, the fungus represents a "serious global health threat" due to its resistance to conventional fungicides.

Dangerous mushroom on the rise

In autumn 2016, the US Department of Health (CDC) first reported a new fungal disease, which in some cases is fatal. The yeast Candida auris was therefore associated with several deaths in the United States. The fungus was first detected in 2009 in a 70-year-old female patient in Japan as the cause of otomycosis (fungal disease of the external auditory meatus). But now he is also rampant in many other countries. According to CDC, it is now a "serious global health threat" dar. Now Candida auris was first detected in Austria.

At the beginning of the year, an infection with the yeast fungus Candida auris was detected in Austria for the first time. The pathogen is difficult to identify and difficult to treat due to its widespread resistance. (Image: jarun011 / fotolia.com)

Infection can be life threatening

Many microorganisms live on the skin, including yeasts. Fungi of the species Candida can be detected in about 75 percent of humans.

With a healthy immune system, the yeast fungus on the skin and mucous membranes are usually no problem.

They live on the skin without being noticed. And even if they lead to yeast infections of the skin, simple home remedies for candida can often help.

However, when the yeast Candida auris enters the bloodstream, the infection that often occurs in hospitals and other healthcare facilities can become life-threatening.

Hard to identify

Since its first appearance, Candida auris has infected hundreds of people worldwide, primarily in hospitals.

The yeast colonizes the ears and the respiratory tract, but it can also cause severe infections or sepsis (blood poisoning) in the blood or wounds.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Candida auris is a "serious global health threat.".

The authorities justify this with the fact that the fungus is difficult to identify during routine routine examinations and difficult to treat due to the widespread resistance.

He is also dangerous, because it came especially in health facilities outbreaks.

People with weakened immune systems are at risk

According to health experts, the fungus is a deadly danger for people with a weakened immune system, diabetics or premature births - these groups often suffer from multiple organ failure after infection.

Based on the relatively few cases to date, the CDC has found that approximately 40 to 60 percent of patients infected with Candida auris have died.

However, it is usually not possible to say exactly whether the fungus was actually the cause, because it was in each case with seriously ill patients.

Although the fungus poses no threat to a healthy person, according to medical experts, last year German and Austrian experts had recommended increased attention in a statement in connection with Candida auris. At the same time, they also warned against unnecessary panic.

Candida auris first detected in Austria

In January 2018, Candida auris was first detected in Austria by the Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES).

A patient in Styria, according to a long-standing inflammation of the ear canal, had consulted a general practitioner who sent an ear stroke to the AGES for testing for microbial pathogens.

According to the information, the patient was successfully treated. The Austrian first description is published in the American journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Europe-wide risk for hospital patients

According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), a total of 620 cases have been reported in seven countries in Europe since 2013 (Spain, Great Britain, Germany, France, Belgium, Norway, Austria).

According to the information, three quarters of these cases were harmless colonies; in a quarter of the pathogen but caused blood poisoning or other infections.

Probably due to improved diagnostic methods, significantly more cases were identified in 2016 and 2017 than in previous years.

In April 2018, the ECDC described the occurrence of Candida auris as a Europe-wide risk for hospital patients.

This is justified by the tendency of this new pathogen to cause outbreaks in hospitals, with its resistance to conventional fungicides and with laboratory diagnostic problems.

Candida auris is transmitted from person to person and over contaminated surfaces. The transmission is most likely a smear infection. Contagion via the air, as is often the case with cold viruses, is to exclude the current state of knowledge. (Ad)