Drug-Resistant 'Superbug' Fungus Spreading Through Major Cities

Outbreaks of a drug-resistant "superbug" are being reported in major U.S. cities.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday (July 22) that the Candida auris fungus has spread among patients at hospitals and long-term care facilities in Texas and Washington, D.C.

The fungus is known to prey on individuals with weakened immune systems and the CDC confirms evidence shows the cases involved person-to-person transmission.

The clusters of cases in the Texas and Washington, D.C. are believed to be unrelated to each other, according to the CDC's report.

Both outbreaks combined for a 30-day mortality of 30%, although other health conditions are believed to have played a role as well.

There were reportedly 101 Candida auris cases identified in Washington, D.C., including three isolated as being resistant to all three major classes of anti-fungal medications, from January to April 2021, according to the CDC's report.

There were also 22 cases identified in Texas during the first four months of the year, which includes two being resistant to all three anti-fungal medications and five resistant to two of the medications.

Candida auris was initially present in the U.S. in 2013 and reported to be "resistant to multiple anti-fungal drugs that we have, and it's also resistant to all the things that we use to eradicate bacteria and fungal strains in the hospital," Dr. Neeta Ogden, an internal medicine specialist, told CBS News in 2019 after health officials issued a warning about the fungus.


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