Yeast Candida auris Medics warn against outbreaks of dangerous fungal infections

Yeast fungus Candida auris represents a serious global health threat

The newly discovered yeast Candida auris is a "serious global health threat," according to the US Department of Health CDC. The fungus is not only difficult to identify, it is also resistant to common antifungals. However, researchers now report that they may have discovered an active ingredient against Candida auris.

Dangerous yeast fungus 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 patient in Japan as a causative agent 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.".

The US health authority CDC warns of Candida auris. The yeast represents a "serious global health threat." The fungus is difficult to identify and is resistant to conventional antifungals. (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 new yeast Candida auris enters the bloodstream, the infection that often occurs in hospitals and other health care facilities can become life-threatening.

Increased attention without unnecessary scaremongering

"Candida auris can get into the blood stream of those infected and cause sepsis there, so-called blood poisoning," said Professor Oliver Kurzai in a statement from the University of Würzburg, where the physician holds the chair of Medical Microbiology and Mycology.

He also heads the National Reference Center for Invasive Fungal Infections (NRZMyk) in Jena.

Professor Kurzai is one of the authors of an opinion from experts from Germany and Austria, in which in connection with Candida auris increased attention is recommended, but at the same time warned of unnecessary alarmist.

Hard to identify

However, according to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), 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.

Candida auris inhabits the ears and the respiratory tract, but it can also cause serious infections in the blood or wounds.

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.

"For a healthy person, Candida auris is not a threat," said Professor Kurzai.

Spread could not be stopped yet

Experts are concerned that the dissemination could not be stopped yet. In recent months, numerous diseases with the dangerous yeast fungus have been recorded in the USA, Great Britain and India among others.

For Germany, an increase in cases is expected. However, there were only isolated cases so far.

There are four cases known to the NRZMyk, and one case reported only orally.

New active ingredient gives hope

Since the yeast mushroom first appeared, researchers are working to find out what makes it so aggressive and how it could be treated.

Scientists at Case Western Reserve University and the University Hospital of Cleveland, Ohio have apparently taken this one step further.

In a recent study, they were able to show that a new drug compound kills drug-resistant C. auris, both in the laboratory and in a mouse model that mimics human infection.

According to a Science Daily report, the experts tested the drug against 16 different C. auris strains collected from infected patients in Germany, Japan, South Korea and India.

When they exposed the isolates to the new drug, they found it more effective than nine other currently available antimycotics.

Promising antifungal agent

According to study leader Mahmoud A. Ghannoum, a professor of dermatology at the Medical School of Case Western Reserve University, the most exciting element of the study is that it brings patients a promising antifungal one step closer.

It forms the basis for phase 1 clinical trials in which low concentrations of the drug in healthy adults are investigated and potential safety concerns are tested.

Such studies are urgently needed as C. auris infection has become a serious threat to health facilities worldwide - and drug resistance is increasing.

"Limited treatment options require the development of new drugs that are effective against this devastating infection," said Ghannoum. "We hope that we have contributed in some way to the development of new drugs."

The results of the study were published in the journal "Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy". (Ad)