The CDC is calling for greater surveillance of Cladophialophora bantiana after a clinical reference laboratory recorded a sharp increase in detections of the rare fungus, which is associated with a 60% to 70% case-fatality rate.
The findings were published Oct. 2 in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Here are five things to know:
- The frequency of C. bantiana detected at the University of Washington laboratory per 1,000 submitted CNS specimens increased approximately fourfold from 2023 to 2025.
- Annual case counts ranged from one to five during 2009-2023 before increasing to eight in 2024 and 14 in 2025.
- Most detections involved the brain. Among 49 cases identified during January 2009-July 2026, 43 (88%) were detected in intracranial CNS tissue specimens. Six (12%) were detected in lung specimens.
- C. bantiana infection is associated with a 60% to 70% case-fatality rate and predominantly causes brain abscesses in immunocompetent and immunocompromised people.
- The reason for the increase remains unclear. The CDC called for more systematic reporting and said clinicians should consider C. bantiana in patients with signs and symptoms of a brain abscess. The warning adds to attention on other fungal threats. Clinical cases of Candida auris, a drug-resistant yeast that spreads in healthcare facilities, more than doubled in the U.S. from 2022 to 2024, according to a CDC study published in July, with California, Texas and Nevada reporting the most 2024 cases.
