USA – Experts are already predicting the next pandemic Corona ahead, but what will it look like? The WHO is currently warning of the increasing spread of a fungal infection.
Because of its high mortality rate, the CDC classified Candida auris as an “imminent threat” back in 2019. © drmicrobe/123RF
Since it first appeared in 2009, the yeast Candida auris has infected hundreds of people worldwide.
The WHO and the US health authorities are currently warning CDC against rapidly increasing numbers of infections, especially in hospitals and care facilities.
Unlike Corona, Candida auris is not transmitted via aerosols, but as a smear infection. The pathogen is considered persistent and is already resistant to some disinfectants and antifungals.
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So far, the yeast fungus has not posed a threat to a healthy person, even if it were to be detected somewhere on the body.
However, if the pathogen enters the body, it can cause serious illnesses such as infecting the central nervous system, bones and organs, or triggering blood poisoning.
About 30 to 40 percent of all infections in which Candida auris enters the body are fatal.
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The yeast Candida auris in a Petri dish, photographed in a laboratory at the University of Würzburg. © Nicolas Armer/dpa
Is climate change partly responsible for the spread of Candida auris?
Around 40 cases have been documented in Germany since 2015, but the number of unreported cases may well be higher due to the lack of reporting requirements.
Even if there are now better detection methods with which the fungus can be detected, the battered German health system would not be well prepared for an epidemic with Candida auris.
The human body temperature of 37 degrees is actually too warm for the yeast fungus. However, as temperatures rise worldwide, Candida auris could adapt to the effects of climate change in the long term.