Photo credit Shawn Lockhart/AP
There's simply no denying that the world is changing and with that change comes changes to not only the world we can, but the world we don't see. What I'm talking about is microorganisms. As a society our sanitation practices have made tremendous strides over the centuries and so have our ability to manufacture drugs. Again, with those changes we just spoke of, life on the microscopic level is learning to adapt and overcome just as well as we do in our day to day lives. Most people have never heard of Candida Auris nor can most people identify what it looks like when someone is infected with the bacteria at the current moment.
In fact, it has been reported that most people that carry this bacterium show no physical signs but are able to spread this bacterium via everyday items such as pens, touchscreen phones, touching surfaces, tv remotes, simple handshake, and let’s not forget the inexplicable social interactions. This bacterium was first found in Japan around 2013 (estimated) and it specifically found to infect the ear canal, heart, brain and lungs. Also this bacterium has spread to 17 countries. Moreover, this bacterium tends to claim the lives of people who have underlying conditions such as cancer or are very sickly
According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control):
“Candida Auris has been reported in more than 30 countries and was first detected in the U.S. in 2016. Between then and December 2021, there have been 3,270 clinical cases in the U.S., in which patients have been infected, and 7,413 screening cases, in which the fungus was present in patients, but was not causing infection.”
Now these numbers seem small when you take into account that we have at least 331.9 million people living in the United States. However, you have to keep in mind that the number quoted by the CDC could possibly be higher as they are only informing us of the confirmed cases. The CDC goes on to say the following:
“About 30% to 60% of infected people have died from the yeast, though that is "based on information from a limited number of patients,” and “the number of drug-resistant cases jumped in 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention”.
This is something to think about given the fact that even in the current times there are parts of this country that are still struggling to keep up with health and safety measures that aid in combating this kind of bacteria from infecting more people.
I want to stress the fact that I'm not trying to incite public panic, but most of the cases that we are currently witnessing are coming not from the streets but from outbreaks in healthcare facilities. The CDC goes on to say that:
“The case count may have increased so quickly due to a lack of prevention, poor control methods in health care facilities and better efforts to detect cases”.
Keep in mind that this bacterium is multidrug resistant, and this means that only antifungal drugs will be able to help us combat this bacterium. Moreover, it has been reported by the CDC that there are “Some strains are resistant to all three available classes of antifungals.” However, there is another issue and that is we are starting to struggle with manufacturing enough drugs of the most needed kinds that are capable of fighting this bacterium.
Some people have been asking if there are any ways in which we can identify a people who may have been infected with Candida Auris and quite frankly the answer is no. One of the reasons for that is because it can be easily misidentified to be other kinds of infections because the CDC stated:
“It [Candida auris] is difficult to identify with standard laboratory methods, and it can be misidentified in labs without specific technology. Misidentification may lead to inappropriate management.” In addition: “The yeast is identified through testing bodily fluids, but it has alarmed the CDC because it is more difficult to distinguish from other yeasts and may be misdiagnosed, making it harder to contain.”
The only thing that I can say is to be please safe out there - and if you feel as if something isn't right with your body please speak with your medical provider.
Comments