Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 26, 2026
Visualization of Candida albicans in the Murine Gastrointestinal Tract Using Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization
Published on: November 5, 2019
Something wicked this way comes: What health care providers need to know about Candida auris
I S Schwartz1, S W Smith1, T C Dingle2,3
1Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB.
Abstract:
Candida auris is a fungal pathogen that recently emerged and rapidly spread around the globe. It is now in Canada. C. auris can cause invasive disease with high mortality rates, is frequently resistant to one or more classes of antifungals, and can be difficult to identify in some clinical microbiology laboratories. C. auris can also involve prolonged colonization of patients' skin and contamination of surrounding environments, resulting in nosocomial outbreaks in hospitals and long-term care facilities. Clinicians, infection prevention and control practitioners and public health officials should be aware of how to mitigate the threat posed by this pathogen. Index cases of C. auris should be suspected in patients with invasive candidiasis and recent hospitalization in global regions where C. auris is prevalent, as well as in patients who fail to respond to empiric antifungal therapy and from whom unidentified or unusual Candida species have been isolated. If a case of C. auris infection or colonization is identified or suspected, the following should take place: notification of local public health authorities and infection prevention and control practitioners; placement of colonized or infected patients in single rooms with routine contact precautions; daily and terminal environmental disinfection with a sporicidal agent; contact tracing and screening for C. auris transmission; and referral of suspicious or confirmed isolates to provincial laboratories. Patients with symptomatic disease should be treated with an echinocandin pending the results of antifungal susceptibility testing, preferably in consultation with an infectious disease specialist. Through the vigilance of front-line health care workers and microbiologists, robust infection prevention and control practices, and local and national surveillance efforts, C. auris can be detected quickly, infections managed and transmissions prevented to protect patients in our health care system.
Insights
Candida auris, a dangerous fungus, is spreading globally and is now in Canada. Early detection and strict infection control are vital to manage this antifungal-resistant pathogen and prevent outbreaks in healthcare settings.
Area of Science:
- Medical Mycology
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- Candida auris is an emerging global fungal pathogen causing invasive infections with high mortality.
- This multidrug-resistant yeast poses significant challenges due to difficulties in clinical identification and its propensity for environmental persistence.
- Nosocomial outbreaks are a major concern in healthcare settings, including hospitals and long-term care facilities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To raise awareness among healthcare professionals and public health officials about the threat of Candida auris in Canada.
- To outline key strategies for the detection, management, and prevention of Candida auris infections and colonization.
- To emphasize the importance of surveillance and infection control practices in mitigating the spread of this pathogen.
Main Methods:
- Clinical suspicion in patients with invasive candidiasis, recent global travel, or unresponsive to antifungal therapy.
- Prompt notification of public health authorities and infection control teams upon identification or suspicion.
- Implementation of single-room isolation, contact precautions, and daily/terminal environmental disinfection with sporicidal agents.
- Contact tracing, screening for transmission, and referral of isolates to provincial laboratories for confirmation.
- Antifungal susceptibility testing and consultation with infectious disease specialists for treatment guidance.
Main Results:
- Candida auris requires heightened vigilance for index case identification, particularly in high-risk patient populations.
- Effective management hinges on rapid detection, appropriate isolation, stringent environmental hygiene, and targeted antifungal therapy.
- Successful control relies on coordinated efforts involving front-line healthcare workers, microbiologists, and public health surveillance.
Conclusions:
- Early recognition and prompt public health notification are critical for controlling Candida auris.
- Robust infection prevention and control measures, including environmental disinfection and patient isolation, are essential.
- Collaborative surveillance and clinical management are key to preventing transmission and protecting patients from Candida auris.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:21Interdisciplinary Care: The Health Care Team-I
Physicians
The physician's primary responsibility is to diagnose illness and direct the medical or surgical treatment of the condition. The authority to admit patients to a healthcare agency or institution and practice care within that setting is granted to physicians by the healthcare agency or institution...
01:18Interdisciplinary Care: The Health Care Team-II
Physical Therapist
A physical therapist (PT) aims to restore function or prevent additional impairment in a patient following an injury or disease. Massage, heat, cold, water, sonar waves, exercises, and electrical stimulation are some treatments used by PTs to treat...
01:26Traditional Level Of Health Care System
The preventive healthcare service includes tests for screening. Preventive health care services include identifying and reducing disease risk...
01:18Introduction To Health Care Delivery System
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) advocates for a patient-centered, effective, safe, timely, equitable, and effective healthcare system. The National Priorities...
01:21Health Literacy
01:22Standards of Care I