In a retrospective study, researchers found a 2,200% increase in clinical Candida auris infections at Miami-based Jackson Health System between 2019 and 2022.
The findings correspond with national trends. In 2016, the CDC reported 51 clinical C. auris cases, and by 2024 that number rose to 4,514.
At Jackson Health System, researchers identified 327 clinical cultures among 231 patients, according to findings published March 17 in the American Journal of Infection Control. The number of clinical C. auris cases increased each year, with five identified in 2019, 29 in 2020, 71 in 2021, 107 in 2022 and 115 in 2023.
An increase from five in 2019 to 115 in 2023 represents a sevenfold increase, the Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy reported. Hospital-onset C. auris infections accounted for 79.5% of cases.
The most common source was blood cultures, but the study showed a large increase in bone and soft tissue infections in 2022 and 2023. The CDC defines the fungal infection as an urgent public health threat due to its resistance to multiple antifungal treatments and ability to spread quickly in healthcare facilities. Learn more here.
