Deadly, Drug-Resistant Fungus Is Spreading In CA Hospitals

CALIFORNIA — A deadly, drug-resistant fungus is spreading in hospitals and care facilities around the nation, and especially in California where health officials have recorded thousands of cases in recent years.

California has the third-highest caseload in the nation of the fungus candida auris, or C. auris, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While C. auris, is still considered rare, it is described as a hard-to-treat "emerging fungus that presents a serious global health threat." It has the potential to kill more than one-third of people who contract it, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The yeast, which was first discovered in the U.S. in 2016, can spread between patients through contaminated equipment, healthcare workers' hands or clothing, or the healthcare environment.

The fungus is mostly found in health facilities, particularly in long-term acute care hospitals and nursing homes that use ventilators. People who are on feeding tubes, catheters and IV lines are also vulnerable.

The fungus has been spreading more rapidly in recent years, and California has seen a notable uptick in cases.

The California Department of Public Health reports 10,095 total cases in the state between January 2017 and December 2024, with the bulk — 4,893 cases — detected in Los Angeles County.

From 2016 to 2023, the CDC identified 10,788 clinical cases of Candida auris nationwide, including at least 1,566 in California. However, that total does not include an additional 22,931 screening cases. Screening cases refer to people who tested positive for C. auris through skin or body site swabs but did not necessarily show symptoms or become ill. These patients may have been "colonized" by the fungus without developing an active infection.

The fungus is generally not a threat to young and healthy people, experts said, but they can carry the fungus. Instead, the fungus tends to prey on the elderly and sick.

In March of last year, the CDC issued a release on the "increasing threat" of the fungus, warning that it was spreading at an "alarming rate" in healthcare facilities between 2020 and 2021.

“The rapid rise and geographic spread of cases is concerning and emphasizes the need for continued surveillance, expanded lab capacity, quicker diagnostic tests, and adherence to proven infection prevention and control,” CDC Epidemiologist Dr. Meghan Lyman said.

What's more, the fungus is spreading rapidly in some states like Georgia and Florida.

“We’ve had four people at one time on and off, over the past few months, and in years past, it was unusual to have one or even two people with Candida Auris in our hospital,” Dr. Timothy Connelly of Memorial Health in Savannah told WJCL.

Through 2023, the CDC reports just 219 clinical cases. But JoAnna Wagner, a spokesperson for the Georgia Department of Public Health, says the state has seen more than 1,300 cases through the end of February.

Similarly, Los Angeles County, alone, has reported 240 cases this year, and Orange County has recorded 130 cases this year.

Care facilities are having to use higher-grade cleaners like U.S. Environmental Protection Agency "List P" certified cleaners specifically designed to kill the fungus.

“Many of the disinfectants that are EPA-registered and historically used by hospitals and medical facilities are not effective against C. Auris,” According to JoAnna Wagner from the Georgia Department of Public Health.

According to the CDC, many of the patients that Candida auris strikes are already ill.

"This is something that can push people over the edge and become life-threatening," Stuart Cohen, chief of infectious diseases at UC Davis told the Los Angeles Times.

The fungus is also reported to be multi-drug resistant.

"...it’s an invasive fungus, and a lot of the common medicines that we use, like Diflucan, don’t work for it," Connelly told WJCL. "And then the second line medicines, like Micafungin, in 10% of cases, that doesn’t work for it.”

One of the reasons the fungus tends to spread so easily is that some patients can contract it without having symptoms — a phenomenon called colonization. Those who are colonized can spread the fungus to surfaces and objects where it can live a long time. Other patients then come into contact with these objects and become infected.

"Patients who are colonized with C. auris may not know it because they do not have any symptoms," according to the CDC.

This is why screening patients — done by testing a swab from the skin — has become important for healthcare providers to help prevent the spread.

The good news is that public health experts say it is highly unlikely that a "healthy" family member of someone infected would contract the fungus.

"C. auris typically only causes infections in hospitalized patients and usually those receiving acute care," the CDC says.

Still, officials say preventative measures are important, such as washing hands thoroughly and using alcohol-based sanitizer in healthcare facilities. In fact, using hand sanitizer is "preferred when possible."

People can also carry the fungus for a long time even if symptoms never arise. Patients are urged to frequently use hand sanitizer and wash their hands.

"While the patient is in a healthcare facility, visitors should clean their hands before entering and after leaving the patient's room," the CDC said.