August 15, 2017

expert reaction to reports of the presence of a Japanese fungus (Candida auris) in multiple UK hospitals

More than 200 patients in England have been contaminated or infected with a drug-resistant fungus first found in Japan, health officials have confirmed.

Prof. Neil Gow, Professor of Microbiology, MRC Centre for Medical Mycology, University of Aberdeen, & President of the Microbiology Society, said:

“Candida auris is an important emerging pathogen and in need of more research to understand how it has emerged recently around the world as a health threat – mainly to patients in special support units. It’s worth noting in light of the recent outbreaks however that only a handful of strains are currently resistant to more than one class of antifungal treatment at the same time. In addition, most of the 200 UK patients from whom this  organism has been isolated, have only been colonised with Candida auris – and not infected by it.  Fewer than 30 of the 200 individuals had the yeast isolated from their bloodstream indicating disseminated infection.  Also it is also reassuring that there have been no deaths in the UK from Candida auris, and our hospital staff have already learnt a lot about how to detect and protect us from this yeast.”

Declared interests

No conflicts of interest.