Clinical cases of the drug-resistant fungus Candida auris more than doubled in the U.S. from 2022 to 2024, highlighting ongoing transmission in healthcare settings, according to a CDC study published July 2.
Here are 6 things to know:
1. CDC received reports of 13,507 clinical cases during the three-year period, including 2,882 in 2022, 4,428 in 2023 and 6,197 in 2024. The agency also reported 27,853 screening cases, which increased from 6,226 in 2022 to 12,432 in 2024.
2. Most clinical cases occurred in adults ages 45 and older and were identified in acute care hospitals (76.6%) or long-term acute care hospitals (17.8%). Among screening cases with a known facility type, the share identified in acute care hospitals increased from 24.7% in 2022 to 50.7% in 2024, while the share identified in long-term acute care hospitals declined from 56.1% to 35.7%.
3. C. auris is frequently resistant to antifungal drugs, can persist on patients’ skin and surfaces, and spreads readily in healthcare settings. Bloodstream infections caused by the fungus are associated with high mortality.
4. The CDC said sustained infection prevention and control measures, including transmission-based precautions, environmental disinfection and communication of patients’ Candida auris status during transfers, remain essential to limiting further spread.
5. The rise continues a trend seen over the last several years. Clinical cases jumped more than 50% from 2022 to 2023, and by late 2025 the U.S. had recorded 7,045 cases, driven largely by Nevada and California — the two states that have consistently led the nation in case counts, with Nevada reporting a record high in January 2024.
6. In 2023, a CDC report found a 34% mortality rate among hospitalizations tied to the fungus, and researchers identified seven risk factors linked to progression from colonization to clinical infection.
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