Investigation of the First Seven Reported Cases of Candida auris, a Globally Emerging Invasive, Multidrug-Resistant Fungus — United States, May 2013–August 2016

• Published in: MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report Vol. 65; no. 44; pp. 1234 - 1237
• Main Authors: Vallabhaneni, Snigdha, Kallen, Alex, Tsay, Sharon, Chow, Nancy, Welsh, Rory, Kerins, Janna, Kemble, Sarah K., Pacilli, Massimo, Black, Stephanie R., Landon, Emily, Ridgway, Jessica, Palmore, Tara N., Zelzany, Adrian, Adams, Eleanor H., Quinn, Monica, Chaturvedi, Sudha, Greenko, Jane, Fernandez, Rafael, Southwick, Karen, Furuya, E. Yoko, Calfee, David P., Hamula, Camille, Patel, Gopi, Barrett, Patricia, Lafaro, Patricia, Berkow, Elizabeth L., Moulton-Meissner, Heather, Noble-Wang, Judith, Fagan, Ryan P., Jackson, Brendan R., Lockhart, Shawn R., Litvintseva, Anastasia P., Chiller, Tom M.
• Format: Journal Article Newsletter
• Language: English
• Published: United States Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 11.11.2016; U.S. Government Printing Office
• Subjects: Antifungal agents; Antifungal Agents - pharmacology; Antifungal Agents - therapeutic use; Candida; Candida - drug effects; Candida - isolation & purification; Candidiasis - diagnosis; Candidiasis - drug therapy; Candidiasis - microbiology; Communicable Diseases, Emerging; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Fungal; Fatal Outcome; Fungi; Global Health; Health aspects; Humans; Infection; Investigations; Medical schools; Microbial drug resistance; United States; New York; Maryland; Illinois; New Jersey
• DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.mm6544e1
• ISSN: 0149-2195

Candida auris, an emerging fungus that can cause invasive infections, is associated with high mortality and is often resistant to multiple antifungal drugs. C. auris was first described in 2009 after being isolated from external ear canal discharge of a patient in Japan (1). Since then, reports of C. auris infections, including bloodstream infections, have been published from several countries, including Colombia, India, Israel, Kenya, Kuwait, Pakistan, South Africa, South Korea, Venezuela, and the United Kingdom (2-7). To determine whether C. auris is present in the United States and to prepare for the possibility of transmission, CDC issued a clinical alert in June 2016 informing clinicians, laboratorians, infection control practitioners, and public health authorities about C. auris and requesting that C. auris cases be reported to state and local health departments and CDC (8). This report describes the first seven U.S. cases of C. auris infection reported to CDC as of August 31, 2016. Data from these cases suggest that transmission of C. auris might have occurred in U.S. health care facilities and demonstrate the need for attention to infection control measures to control the spread of this pathogen.