The CDC is tracking clinical cases of Candida auris in more than half of U.S. states this year, though the total number of infections from the deadly fungus is down from this time in 2025.
The agency has recorded 3,302 clinical cases of Candida auris across 27 states through the week ending July 18, according to National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System data. That’s down from 4,102 clinical cases reported over the same period in 2025.
A separate CDC screening count, which tracks colonization detected before any illness develops, logged 3,130 cases across 23 states over the same period, essentially flat compared with 3,348 a year earlier.
California leads all states in clinical cases with 826, followed by Texas with 391 and Ohio and Tennessee tied at 274 each. The screening count tells a different geographic story: Texas leads with 706 screening cases, followed by Michigan (503) and Illinois (366).
Clinical cases reflect confirmed infections, including bloodstream infections, in patients already being treated for suspected illness. Screening cases identify colonization — the fungus present on a patient’s skin without causing symptoms — often through targeted swabbing protocols at admission. The CDC has found that more than 95% of tested C. auris samples no longer respond to fluconazole, the antifungal typically used as first-line treatment.
For infection prevention leaders, the divergence between which states lead in clinical infections versus screening detections may reflect differences in screening intensity as much as underlying spread. The CDC noted case counts for 2025 and 2026 are provisional and subject to change.
Below are the states reporting confirmed clinical C. auris cases in 2026, ranked from highest to lowest case count, as of July 18.
California — 826
Texas — 391
Ohio — 274
Tennessee — 274
Georgia — 193
Louisiana — 177
Arizona — 171
Illinois — 169
Michigan — 140
Virginia — 127
Pennsylvania — 115
Indiana — 88
Mississippi — 81
Maryland — 79
New Jersey — 55
North Carolina — 44
Kansas — 29
Iowa — 19
Nevada — 12
Washington — 8
Colorado — 7
Kentucky — 7
West Virginia — 6
Utah — 4
Wisconsin — 4
New Mexico — 1
North Dakota — 1
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