Candida auris in a tertiary healthcare setting in south India: A case series

Candida species can produce a variety of clinical manifestations, and several nonalbicans species of Candida, including Candida auris, have been linked to the rise of invasive fungal infections with high rates of treatment failure. Nosocomial outbreaks and high mortality rates in healthcare institutions across the globe have been associated with Candida auris, an emerging yeast infection that was initially discovered in the ear canal of an elderly Japanese patient in ۲۰۰۹. The fact that Candida auris is found on six continents after it was initially isolated has raised serious concerns among scientists and healthcare practitioners. At present, healthcare facilities lack defined protocols for the effective prevention and control of Candida auris infections, as well as appropriate treatment alternatives. This leads to frequent therapeutic failures and complicates the eradication of Candida auris infection in healthcare facilities. Studies on Candida auris in South India are often limited and health care workers urgently need to be made aware of infections caused by Candida auris in order to assess its impact and possible implications for the healthcare system. In this study, we report on seven patients hospitalized in our center and who developed Candida auris infections of varying clinical manifestations.

Keywords:

Antifungal agents , Candida auris , Identification , infections , MALDI-TOF