2023-07-31 06:15:42
Resistant to most antifungal drugs
Enter 2023.07.31 15:15 Modify 2023.07.31 14:35 Hits 10 Enter 2023.07.31 15:15 Modify 2023.07.31 14:35 Hits 10
Candida auris, also known as ‘zombie fungus’, is spreading rapidly in the United States. [사진=게티이미지뱅크]’Zombie mold’ is spreading rapidly in the United States, making the quarantine authorities nervous. The fungus, which is already a global public health threat, scientists claim has exploded due to climate change.
According to CBS News, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) received reports that the fungus Candida auris has caused serious illness or death in medical facilities in 29 states, including Florida.
Candida auris, which can only be seen using a light microscope, is a yeast that is resistant to most antifungal drugs and is responsible for many infections and has caused several deaths worldwide. Fungal infections can cause serious illness, including infections of the bloodstream, wounds, and respiratory tract. The mortality rate is estimated at 30-60%.
Candida auris does not cause any symptoms in a healthy person’s body. However, it poses a serious threat to patients already weakened by other conditions. It can spread throughout the patient’s body and cause serious complications. Because of this, it has affected patients in hospitals and nursing homes a lot.
In the United States, there were 2,377 clinically confirmed cases last year, an increase of more than 1,200% since 2017. In Europe, too, a survey last year showed that the number of patients almost doubled between 2020 and 2021.
“The number of cases has increased, but so has the geographic distribution,” said Megan Marie Lyman, a medical epidemiologist at the CDC.
In response, scientists argued that climate change might be responsible for the sudden explosion of the fungus, which was not found in humans until 2009.
The fungus, which appeared naturally 14 years ago in Venezuela, India and South Africa, was first discovered in the United States in 2016 in hospitals in New York State.
Mammals, including humans, have protected themselves from infection by maintaining a body temperature that is unbearable for most fungal pathogens. However, as temperatures rise, fungi can develop tolerance to withstand higher temperatures, which can neutralize human resistance.
Scientists claim that this is already happening in Candida auris.
“Our body heat provides tremendous protection from fungi,” said Professor Arturo Casadeval, a fungal disease expert at Johns Hopkins University. But as the planet gets warmer and fungi start to adapt to higher temperatures, they will cross what some call the temperature barrier.”
“Candida auris is a nightmare scenario,” said Dr. Louis Ostroski, professor of epidemiology at McGovern Medical School in Houston. no,” he said.
Accordingly, in March of this year, the CDC pointed out the seriousness of the problem, citing the resistance of pathogens to existing antifungal treatments and the surprising rate of spread.
“There is no treatment that works for this infection,” said Dr. Ostrotsky. “I have seen mold spread throughout an intensive care unit in two weeks.”
Common symptoms of infection include sepsis, fever, and low blood pressure. Infection is not only difficult to treat, but also difficult to diagnose. This is because it is so rare that even most doctors are not aware of the existence of the condition.
Dr. Ostroski said, “Bacteria are diagnosed with a blood test, but the test misses regarding half of them.”
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