Highly Resistant Candida auris Often Colonizes Residents in Long-Term Facilities

In one study, 86% of participants in a single skilled nursing facility were colonized; in another, pan–antifungal-resistant isolates were found at two separate long-term facilities.

Candida auris represents an urgent public health threat because of its extensive antifungal resistance and propensity for healthcare-associated outbreaks, especially in long-term care facilities. Two recent reports demonstrate that skin colonization is common and that C. auris is frequently resistant to antifungals.

In the first report, investigators in Chicago obtained swab specimens at three monthly time points between January and April 2019 from 57 patients on the ventilator ward of a skilled nursing facility with endemic C. auris infection. All residents had routine bathing with 2% chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG)-impregnated cloths. Samples from up to 10 body surface sites were cultured and CHG concentrations were measured. A total of 49 p…

Reviewing Author

Neil M. Ampel, MD

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Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

Neil M. Ampel, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

Highly Resistant Candida auris Often Colonizes Residents in Long-Term Facilities

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Reviewing Author