The Candida Auris fungus reproduces rapidly, is drug-resistant, and can be fatal.
More than a year after the first corona cases occurred, experts are now warning of a new danger. In Brazil, a so-called “super fungus” is spreading, which is already resistant to some drugs.
Alert in Brazil
The Candida Auris fungus can also infect humans. This also leads to urinary tract infections, wounds and blood poisoning. Unlike the classic Candida yeasts, Candida auris is resistant to many conventional anti-fungal agents. In infected patients, it is estimated that the mortality rate is 60 percent.
The first two cases of this “super fungus” were registered in December 2020 in a hospital in northern Brazil. Study author Arnaldo Colombo writes in Journal of Fungi that there are now more new cases. “There is cause for concern. We are observing the evolutionary characteristics of C. auris isolates from patients in the hospital in Salvador and we have already found samples with reduced sensitivity to fluconazole and echinocandins, ”said the expert. So the fungus is already resistant to some drugs. “The species quickly becomes resistant to multiple drugs and is not very sensitive to the disinfectants used by hospitals and clinics,” Colombo continued.
Corona created ideal conditions
Experts are not surprised that the fungus is spreading in Brazil. During the Corona crisis, the intensive care units were completely overcrowded – there was chaos in the hospitals. Corona patients who have to be treated in hospital for a week-long period are particularly at risk of infection.
The study authors are now calling for increased control of hospital patients. They also appeal not to prescribe antibiotics too quickly and without real justification.