A drug-resistant fungus called Candida auris is spreading rapidly around the world.
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The Insider details how the deadly fungus that was first discovered in Japan in 2009 is worrying health experts because of its ability to resist antifungal treatments that have been used in the past. As of May, there were 685 confirmed cases of Candida auris in the U.S., according to the Insider.
The outbreaks tend to happen in hospitals and other health care settings where susceptible people with compromised immune systems reside.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention referred to Candida auris as an “emerging fungus that presents a serious global health threat,” but then waited two years before releasing a report of an outbreak in a Kentucky hospital. An even larger outbreak is believed to have occurred in Valencia, Spain, responsible for a 41% mortality rate in the first 30 days.
Drug-resistant fungus now joins the growing ranks of drug-resistant infections and diseases such as urinary tract infections, tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases, not to mention methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus or MRSA — an infection caused by staph bacteria that have become resistant to the methicillin family of antibiotics.
Some think there may be a connection between the rise of this drug-resistant fungus and the indiscriminate use of fungicide treatments on crops.
Antibiotic-resistant pathogens are estimated to cause at least 2 million infections annually, leading to 23,000 deaths each year in the U.S. Antibiotics have been widely overprescribed and have also been routinely given to livestock for growth purposes, giving rise to bacteria that are now resistant to one or more antibiotics.
Fungi are becoming as tough to treat as antibiotic-resistant bacteria, especially since there are few antifungal drugs, and they often times have side effects.
One natural treatment to try is lavender oil, which has antibacterial and antifungal properties. Lavender oil has been proven effective at fighting the dangerous bacteria S. aureus and multidrug-resistant E. coli, as well as fungal infections, including various species of Candida.