A drug-resistant fungus was discovered and spread rapidly across the United States.  This fungus, called Candida Auris, is highly contagious and can spread through contact.  

   According to the Ohio Department of Health, “[Candida Auris] spreads easily among hospitalized patients and nursing home residents through contact with contaminated environmental surfaces or equipment, or from person to person. In some patients, this yeast can enter the bloodstream and spread throughout the body, causing serious invasive infections.”

    Although C. Aurus has been identified, it is very difficult to put an end to.  The largest concern is its ability to spread around hospitals and attack patients with weak immune systems.  While the fungus has been tested with a combination of drugs, attempts to treat the fungus have been fruitless.  Currently, it seems as though the fungus is drug-resistant and that there is no way to get rid of it with antibiotics. 

   According to NBC News, “Most concerning was the increasing numbers of fungus samples resistant to the common treatments for it. [The chief medical officer in the CDC’s Mycotic Diseases Branch Dr. Megan] Lyman hopes the paper will put C. Auris on healthcare providers’ radar and spur facilities to practice ‘good infection control.’”

C. Aurus has spread through almost half of the United States and has the ability to colonize both surfaces and human skin.  Although the fungus was discovered previously, it spread quickly between 2020 and 2021.

   More specifically, the fungus has made its way to Ohio and multiple cases have been documented.  

   According to WKBN First News, “Over the past 12 months, there have been 79 cases in Ohio with a total of 285 cases from May 2020 to November 2022.”