CDC issues update on emerging multidrug-resistant fungus

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Friday reported 77 cases in the past year of the emerging and often multidrug-resistant fungus Candida auris, most in chronically ill patients with long stays at high-acuity skilled nursing facilities. All but eight of the cases were in the New York City area, including 53 in New York and 16 in New Jersey. Illinois reported four cases, and Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts and Oklahoma each reported one case. CDC alerted health care facilities to the emerging fungus last year. The agency recommends using standard and contact precautions with affected patients, housing them in private rooms, and daily and terminal cleaning of the patient’s room with a disinfectant active against C. difficile spores.