Drug-Resistant Superbug Confirmed In Maryland

A powerful drug-resistant “superbug” — Candida auris — has been reported in 12 U.S. states, including Maryland. The sometimes fatal fungal infection is a serious global health threat that has hospitalized patients in several countries, including the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The hardy fungus can remain colonized in patients and on surfaces in health-care facilities for long periods of time, making it more difficult to fight, the CDC said.

In Maryland, three cases have been confirmed. Other states with confirmed cases include California, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia. Together, U.S. states have reported 613 confirmed cases, with an additional 30 probable cases.

Large outbreaks have been reported in New York City, Chicago and New Jersey, which have seen 319, 156 and 106 confirmed cases, respectively, as of March 31, 2019.

The CDC said a patient who received health care in a country where the fungus has been reported brought it to the United States.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, has asked federal health officials to declare an emergency to help fight the spread of the superbug.

“We are here today to urge the CDC, the Centers for Disease Control, to deliver a whole bunch of resources that can help New York and other states kill this bug and stop its spread,” Schumer said during a Sunday press conference.

He called for the emergency declaration to free up money in the federal budget to help identify the threat and diagnose additional cases, tackle it through preventive efforts such as education, and treat it without relying on antibiotics, since the disease has shown itself to be resistant to them.

Schumer noted that a health emergency declaration several years ago unleashed $165 to fight the Ebola virus.

“With something as deadly as Candida auris, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” Schumer said.

Candida grows as yeast, and symptoms include difficulty swallowing, burning, genital itching and sometimes a cheese-like discharge that looks white, according to the CDC. It was first detected in 2009 in a patient in Japan, and there is documented transmission of C. auris to U.S. patients from healthcare facilities in India, Pakistan, South Africa and Venezuela, according to the CDC.

The yeast is difficult to identify and doesn’t respond to commonly used antifungal drugs, leading to high mortality, according to Rutgers University officials.

Based on information from a limited number of patients, the CDC said 30 percent to 60 percent of people with C. auris infections have died. However, many of these people had other serious illnesses that also increased their risk of death.

Indeed, the disease has presented itself as enough of a threat that the CDC awarded Rutgers University a $300,000 contract over two years to fight the infection's spread as part of the CDC's Antibiotic Resistance Solutions Initiative.

"It's acting like a superbug," Paige Armstrong, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service officer, has said. "Without appropriate infection control and really a rigorous response, [it] could lead to even more cases in the United States."

Fungal infections often cause serious disease among patients with compromised immune systems or other debilitating conditions resulting in high morbidity and mortality. Globally, nearly 1.4 million deaths a year are attributed to invasive fungal infections, which is on par with deadly diseases like tuberculosis, according to the CDC.

Here are ways to avoid contracting the disease:

• One of the best ways to prevent the spread of dangerous germs like C. auris in health-care settings is good hand hygiene. Washing hands frequently can help prevent its spread.
• Early and accurate identification, rigorous infection control practices, and communication between facilities are key to reducing the spread in health-care settings.
• Proper infection control involves consistent handwashing, use of personal protective equipment and cleaning and disinfection of medical equipment and the health-care environment.
• When patients are transferred to other health-care facilities, the receiving facilities should be notified of C. auris infection and the level of precautions recommended.

Patch national writer Tom Davis in New Jersey contributed reporting.