Home · Science · Oct 3 archive
Fungus Resistant to All Major Antifungal Drugs Spreads Globally
Confirmed
In Short: A new strain of Candida auris, a fungus that has spread to over 60 countries since 2009, has become resistant to all four major classes of antifungal drugs, according to a study published in ScienceAlert.
Researchers note that the mutations differ from those found in previously reported strains in New York, suggesting that the pan-drug resistance may have evolved independently.
The patient had received several antifungal medications during her illness, but the exact doses and treatment durations were not available to determine if these drugs contributed to the resistance.
Healthcare experts warn that the fungus can persist in healthcare environments and spread easily between patients, making it a significant threat.
The World Health Organization has designated C. auris as a serious global health threat due to its antifungal resistance and potential for wider spread.
The researchers call this particular strain pan-drug-resistant (PDR), meaning it resists familiar drugs like fluconazole, caspofungin, micafungin, amphotericin B, and flucytosine.
Pan-drug resistance in fungi is exceptionally rare, and the emergence of such a resistant strain underscores the escalating threat of untreatable fungal infections.
Healthcare experts emphasize the need for stronger surveillance of fungal genomes and rapid diagnostic capacity to mitigate the spread of highly resistant C. auris lineages in healthcare settings.
The rise of antifungal resistance is a problem that needs more widespread attention, comparable to the better-recognized crises of multidrug-resistant bacteria.
Funding for medical research on drug-resistant fungi has traditionally been limited, despite the serious illnesses they can cause.
The compounds in antifungal drugs, called azoles, are also used in fungicides, veterinary medicines, wood preservatives, and cosmetics.
What's confirmed
- Researchers note that the mutations differ from those found in previously reported strains in New York, suggesting that the pan-drug resistance may have evolved independently.
- The patient had received several antifungal medications during her illness, but the exact doses and treatment durations were not available to determine if these drugs contributed to the resistance.
- Healthcare experts warn that the fungus can persist in healthcare environments and spread easily between patients, making it a significant threat.
- The World Health Organization has designated C. auris as a serious global health threat due to its antifungal resistance and potential for wider spread.
- The researchers call this particular strain pan-drug-resistant (PDR), meaning it resists familiar drugs like fluconazole, caspofungin, micafungin, amphotericin B, and flucytosine.
- Pan-drug resistance in fungi is exceptionally rare, and the emergence of such a resistant strain underscores the escalating threat of untreatable fungal infections.
- Healthcare experts emphasize the need for stronger surveillance of fungal genomes and rapid diagnostic capacity to mitigate the spread of highly resistant C. auris lineages in healthcare settings.
- The rise of antifungal resistance is a problem that needs more widespread attention, comparable to the better-recognized crises of multidrug-resistant bacteria.
- Funding for medical research on drug-resistant fungi has traditionally been limited, despite the serious illnesses they can cause.
- The compounds in antifungal drugs, called azoles, are also used in fungicides, veterinary medicines, wood preservatives, and cosmetics.
What's still developing
- Since it was first described in 2009, this fungus has spread to more than 60 countries across six continents, causing healthcare-associated outbreaks and invasive infections, with mortality rates of 30–50 percent reported in some situations.
- But the particular strain of this fungus described in a new paper has something especially troubling going for it: laboratory testing found it resistant to all four major classes of antifungal drugs.
- They found several mutations already associated with antifungal resistance, including changes in the genes ERG11 and CDR1, which are linked to resistance to azole drugs, an alteration in the FKS1 gene associated with resistance to echinocandins, and a "stop-gain" mutation in FUR1, a gene involved in processing the drug flucytosine.
- There's a new fungus amongus, and it's raising red flags among health care experts because it resists all the major antifungal treatments.
- The discovery involves Candidozyma auris (formerly known as Candida auris), an emerging fungal pathogen that has already become a serious problem in hospitals around the world.
- Research data shows that risk factors include recent surgery, diabetes and broad-spectrum antibiotic and antifungal use.
- Say “fungus” and most people in the world would probably visualize a mushroom.