Local researchers working to stop fungal threat
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Will this be the last of us? Photo: Nicolas Armer/picture alliance via Getty Images
A potentially deadly fungus, on the radar of local health professionals for several years, is spreading quickly in the U.S.
Driving the news: On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published data showing that 3,270 clinical cases of C. auris infections were reported in the U.S. from 2016 to 2021.
Why it matters: C. auris poses a danger to people with compromised immune systems, according to the CDC.
- The fungus has proven resistant to echinocandins, the antifungal medicine most commonly recommended for such infections.
What they found: Cases tripled nationwide from 476 in 2019 to 1,471 in 2021, with the fungus detected in more than half of the states, including Ohio.
- Preliminary figures estimate at least another 2,377 clinical cases in 2022.
Zoom in: Of those 2,377 cases last year, 79 were reported in Ohio, ninth-most among all states.
- Since 2018, researchers at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center have been working on an antifungal that could combat C. auris.
- In November 2022, Case Western received a five-year, $3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to bolster research.
What they're saying: Mahmoud Ghannoum, director of the Center for Medical Mycology at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, said in a statement that C. auris is "particularly scary" given its resistance to antifungal drugs.
- "It can survive on skin and health care surfaces [for] up to two weeks, allowing the spread from person to person in health care settings and nursing homes," Ghannoum said.
The intrigue: The spread of C. auris has drawn parallels to the popular HBO series "The Last of Us," where a real-life fungus called cordyceps mutates and prompts a zombie apocalypse.
- Reality check: The potential for C. auris to lead to a zombie outbreak has been dispelled by health professionals.
What's next: The CDC is still studying how C. auris spreads as the number of cases resistant to echinocandins tripled in 2021.