News

Jun 13, 2023

Deadly fungus found in Mississippi, other states, spreading rapidly

An emerging fungus presents a serious global threat as it spreads rapidly

An emerging fungus presents a serious global threat as it spreads rapidly throughout the state and nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Candida Auris is multidrug-resistant and difficult to identify with standard laboratory methods, and it can be misidentified in labs without specific technology, the CDC said.

Multiple healthcare facilities in several countries have reported that a type of yeast called Candida Auris has been causing severe illness in hospitalized patients.

For some patients, the yeast can enter the bloodstream and spread throughout the body, causing serious invasive infections.

The Mississippi State Department of Health reported as of Thursday, a total of six cases of the invasive infection, with two deaths, and 37 colonized individuals have been identified statewide in Mississippi since November 2022.

"This yeast often does not respond to commonly used antifungal drugs, making infections difficult to treat," the CDC said. "Patients who have been hospitalized in a healthcare facility for a long time, have a central venous catheter, or other lines or tubes entering their body, or have previously received antibiotics or antifungal medications, appear to be at the highest risk of infection with this yeast."

Not only has the deadly virus spread throughout Mississippi, but experts at the Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation in New Jersey said the fungus has taken hold in health facilities in Southern Nevada, sickening at least 600 and killing another 63.

Below are a few helpful tips provided by MSDH and the CDC on precautions to take.