Candida Auris: what it is, how it is transmitted and what are the treatments

Candida auris is a recently discovered pathogen that belongs to the candida family but is much more aggressive. Let's find out what it is.

When we talk about Candida auris we mean a very aggressive form of candidiasis and which, unlike the other forms of candidiasis , tends to behave in an unpredictable way.
Considered extremely contagious, it can be even lethal in the most fragile subjects such as children, the elderly or immunosuppressed subjects. The Candida auris fungus is in fact extremely resistant to antibiotics, which is why it can be very difficult to eradicate it.

Candida auris: how it is transmitted

Candida auris is a killer fungus with particular symptoms. Isolated for the first time in 2009 after being found in the ear of a Japanese patient, it immediately showed its danger.

Once in the environment it is in fact potentially dangerous and able to infect any material in the vicinity of those who suffer from it. Thus, it is enough to touch surfaces to come into contact with them. This is made even more dangerous by the fact that not all disinfectants prove capable of effectively eradicating it.

To all this is added the fact that candida auris with the Coronavirus pandemic seems to have taken over more easily, so much so that more and more cases are starting to be heard. Fortunately, these are still few and far between .

The real problem is that candida auris (from the ear as it is the first place it was isolated), is really difficult to cure and can affect the whole organism thus revealing itself as a lethal systemic infection.

What are the symptoms of this fungus

Going to Candida auris and the symptoms, these are notoriously attributable to fever , muscle aches, difficulty in swallowing. This is associated with a constant burning sensation.
At the moment its diffusion has been found mostly in the hospital setting. Nevertheless, the alert is very high due to its resistance to treatment. Unlike the more well-known candida , once you get infected it seems that eliminating it is very difficult.

For Candida auris, the current treatment is in fact that based on antifungals called echinocandins. However, this is not a remedy that always works and it is often necessary to work with multiple forms of antifungals to be given in high doses.
This is therefore a problem that should not be underestimated and which certainly deserves the utmost attention from the scientific community.

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