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Public health issues with Candida auris in COVID-19 patients
Edmund J Janniger1, Rajendra Kapila2
1International Security Forum Florham Park New Jersey USA.
Insights
The global rise of Candida auris, a multidrug-resistant fungus, poses a significant threat to healthcare systems, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This fungus causes severe nosocomial infections with high mortality rates.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Mycology
- Public Health
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic has strained healthcare systems globally.
- Candida auris, a multidrug-resistant fungus, has emerged as a significant global threat since its 2009 identification.
- C. auris presents challenges due to high mortality, cryptic spread, and misidentification by conventional methods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the emerging threat of Candida auris infections.
- To emphasize the increased risk posed to COVID-19 patients, particularly in intensive care units.
- To underscore the implications of C. auris in the context of healthcare system strain during the pandemic.
Main Methods:
- Review of global C. auris epidemiology.
- Analysis of C. auris characteristics (mortality, spread, resistance, identification).
- Assessment of C. auris as a nosocomial pathogen in the context of COVID-19.
Main Results:
- Candida auris has spread globally and is associated with high mortality rates.
- C. auris exhibits cryptic fomite spread and is frequently misidentified.
- The incidence of C. auris as a nosocomial infection has increased, posing an added hazard to COVID-19 inpatients.
Conclusions:
- Candida auris represents a critical public health challenge, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Enhanced surveillance and diagnostic methods are crucial for controlling C. auris outbreaks.
- Protecting vulnerable COVID-19 patients from C. auris coinfection is paramount for patient outcomes and healthcare system stability.
Abstract:
The ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has overwhelmed a number of medical facilities as well as a few entire health-care systems. A novel issue co-incident with the expeditious deployment of specialty care units for COVID-19 inpatients is the worldwide epidemic of Candida auris infections. Since its first identification and classification in Japan in 2009, it has spread globally. This threat was predicted as C. auris has a high mortality rate, cryptic fomite spread, frequent misidentification since conventional methods do not detect it, and multidrug-resistance. Since the April 2020 warning at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, C. auris has been delineated as an increasingly consequential source of significant nosocomial infections, emphasizing the added hazard of C. auris to COVID-19 inpatients, particularly those in intensive care units.
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