'Superbug' Infection Spreading In CA, Around U.S.: See Latest Data

CALIFORNIA — A drug-resistant, potentially deadly fungus continues to grow at a troubling rate in the U.S., including in California, per the latest federal and state figures.

According to the CDC, C. auris is an "emerging fungus that presents a serious global health threat” that kills about one-third of people who contract it. The fungus is mostly found in health care facilities, particularly in long-term acute care hospitals and nursing homes that use ventilators.

As of November 2023, there were a total of 6,583 recorded cases of the “superbug” in California since 2017, according to the California Department of Public Health.

Most of the cases have been recorded in Southern California, especially in Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino counties, the agency said.

Since 2022, cases have also spread from Southern to Northern California, the CDPH said, with increasing cases showing up in San Francisco, Sacramento and Alameda counties according to data reported through Jan. 8, 2024.

Officials said wider spread is likely occurring in Northern California as of late, as most cases only have exposure within the region according to preliminary data

"C. auris can spread quickly from person to person and via contaminated surfaces in healthcare settings like hospitals and skilled nursing facilities," according to the CDPH website. "C. auris infections can be serious, difficult to treat, and even fatal. C. auris infections are often resistant to several kinds of antifungal medications, or multidrug-resistant."

In recent weeks, the fungus has sparked outbreaks in Washington, Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin. In fact, U.S. cases of C. auris are higher than they’ve ever been on record, according to Medpage Today.

When the fungus enters the bloodstream of an individual and spreads throughout the body, serious invasive infections may occur. The fungus also doesn’t usually respond to commonly used antifungal drugs, making infections difficult to treat.

C. auris can also stay on surfaces in healthcare facilities (such as bed rails, bed sheets, door handles, oxygen masks and more) for long periods of time and can survive on plastic for multiple weeks, according to Medpage Today.

The CDC encourages health care workers to be proactive and vigilant to contain the spread of the deadly fungus, including maintaining adherence to hand hygiene, cleaning and disinfecting patient care environments, screening contacts of new case patients and laboratory testing of clinical specimens to detect new cases.

Patch Staffer Nicole Rosenthal contributed to this report.