CANDIDA AURIS INFECTION

Overview and Facts

Candida auris infection, generally called C. auris, is a yeast that may potentially cause infections and spread across hospitals. This yeast may enter the circulation and spread all over the body, producing deadly invasive infections in certain people. Infection may occur in any body component, including blood or a wound. C. auris may also survive on the skin and other body parts without causing illness. This is referred to as “colonization.” 

Because this yeast often does not react to routinely used antifungal medicines, infections are difficult to cure. Patients who have been in a healthcare institution for an extended period of time, who have previously had antibiotics or antifungal drugs, or who have a central venous catheter or other lines or tubes entering the body seem to be at the greatest risk of becoming infected with this yeast.

Types and Symptoms

SYMPTOMS

Candida auris infection has different symptoms depending on which portion of the body is infected. Patients with C. auris infection are frequently already ill with another major sickness or condition. Therefore, symptoms may not be obvious. Depending on the bodily part infected, C. auris infection symptoms vary.

The infection can affect wounds, ears, and blood. 

  • Chills 
  • Muffled hearing
  • Fever 
  • Increased tenderness around the wound
  • Nausea
  • Inflammation at the injury site
  • A feeling of “fullness” in the ear
  • Yellowish pus discharge from the wound
  • Delayed healing 
  • Tiredness 
  • Sharp or dull pain in the ear canal

Diagnosis & Medications

DIAGNOSIS

Typically, physicians identify this illness using a patient’s blood or bodily fluids. However, C. auris is more difficult to detect in these specimens than other, more prevalent infections. It can frequently be mistaken for other varieties of yeast. Consequently, your physician will often send samples to a laboratory for specialized examination.

Whether you’ve had contact with a person who has C. auris, you may have a second test to determine if you contain the fungus. Your physician will use a cotton swab to examine the skin in your armpits and groin. They will submit the swab to a laboratory in search of C. auris. If the test reveals that you have it, your doctor will help you choose the next actions to ensure your safety and the safety of those around you.

TREATMENT

If you have a C. auris infection, your physician will initially treat you with an echinocandin, which is a sort of antifungal medicine. However, the yeast may develop resistance to these medications. If this is the case, your doctor will need to treat your infection with repeated high-dose antifungal medicines.

These therapies should only be used if you have a proven C. auris infection. If you have the fungus but no illness, therapy may be dangerous and increase your chances of infection.

Related Articles

LARYNGEAL POLYPS

Overview and FactsTypes and SymptomsDiagnosis & MedicationsOverview and Facts Laryngeal polyps are benign growths that develop on the vocal cords [...]

KARTAGENER SYNDROME

Overview and FactsTypes and SymptomsDiagnosis & MedicationsOverview and Facts Kartagener syndrome, also known as primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), is a [...]

KYPHOSCOLIOSIS

Overview and FactsTypes and SymptomsDiagnosis & MedicationsOverview and Facts Kyphoscoliosis is a spinal deformity characterized by an abnormal curvature of [...]