The spread of a drug-resistant killer fungus has reached alarming proportions.
The ‘Last of Us’ bug, kills up to 60 per cent of those it infects and has now been recognised as a serious global health threat.
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Scientists in theCentres for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) reported that Candida auris (C. auris) infections have increased dramatically in the US in recent years.
Organisms have described this fungus as a “urgent danger” for 2019. It can kill up to 60% of those infected.
It has spread rapidly since then in the healthcare setting, and poses a serious risk for immunocompromised individuals.
According to CDC statistics, 2,377 clinical cases were confirmed in the US by 2021 – a significant increase of more than 1,200% since 2017.
The fungus is also spreading to other continents.
Europe has seen a doubling of cases from 335 in 2022, to 655 in 2021, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
Between 2013 and 2021, 304 people in England were infected with the killer bug, Government data suggests.
Most infections are the result of outbreaks in hospitals.
The resistance of the disease to antifungal drugs is a problem for doctors.
Dr Luis Ostrosky, an infectious disease expert from McGovern Medical School, US, thinks C. auris is “kind of our nightmare scenario.”
“It’s a potentially multi-drug resistant pathogen with the ability to spread very efficiently in healthcare settings,” he said.
“We’ve never had a pathogen like this in the fungal infection area,” he added.
Scientists think that the climate changes could have contributed to C.auris’ sudden appearance and rapid spread.
Arturo Casadevall, a microbiologist from Johns Hopkins University, US, said: “We have tremendous protection against environmental fungi because of our temperature.
“However, if the world is getting warmer and the fungi begin to adapt to higher temperatures as well, some … are going to reach what I call the temperature barrier,”
After the popular zombie shoe, the fungus was given its name. The Last of Us.
Cordyceps is a type of fungal disease that has evolved over time to affect the brains of people.
What is C. Auris?
C. auris, a type of fungus, is dangerous and can even be fatal if it enters the bloodstream.
The virus is not dangerous to healthy individuals, but it can kill those with weakened immune systems. This includes the elderly, those already sick and those newborns.
About one third of those who get sick from C. auris will die.
In 2009, it was identified for the first time in a Japanese patient.
Experts have this year warned the killer fungal infection – that is immune to drugs – is sweeping the globe.
C.auris is resistant to major antifungal drugs. This means that it can cause death in certain cases.
The Government warned hospitals in 2019 to be on the lookout for this strain.
In order to prevent an outbreak of the disease, you can take steps such as screening infected individuals, improving hand hygiene, and cleaning affected areas.
Scientists are worried that not enough is being invested in research into fungal illnesses in the UK – despite them playing a part in thousands of deaths a year and despite the limited drugs available at present.
What are symptoms of C. Auris?
Doctors often find the symptoms of a C. auris infection challenging to identify because they usually occur in people who are already ill.
Signs of the disease can vary according to where C. auris is in the body.
The infection can occur in many places including an open cut, in the bloodstream or in the ear.
But a common symptom includes a fever or chill that wont subside – even after a person has taken antibiotics.
World Health Organisation