Some U.S. hospitals are fighting off a potentially deadly fungus that
doesn't always respond to drugs.
More than 30 patients have been diagnosed with Candida auris, a fungal
infection typically found in hospitals or similar places.
A majority of people diagnosed with the fungus have died, but it's tough to
know exactly how dangerous it is because the fungus has affected people who
were already very ill.
Candida auris is a type of yeast infection that can infiltrate the
bloodstream and cause serious illness. The fungus can also survive for a long
period of time on a patient's skin or other surfaces.
One concerning thing about Candida auris is some strains have been resistant
to the three main types of anti-fungal drugs.
Doctors
are monitoring the fungus extra closely because we still don't know that much
about it. The first documented case of Candida auris was found in a Japanese
patient's ear in 2009.
Compiled by Grant Sunson
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