A Drug-Resistant 'Superbug' Fungus Infected 7,000 Americans in 2025 (newsweek.com) 63
An anonymous reader shared this report from the Independent:
Candida auris, a type of invasive yeast that can cause deadly infections in people with weakened immune systems, has infected at least 7,000 people [in 2025] across 27 U.S. states, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The fungus, which can spread easily in healthcare settings such as hospitals and nursing homes, is gaining virulence and spreading at an "alarming" rate, the CDC says. Some strains of the fungus are particularly troublesome — and even considered a superbug — because they're resistant to all types of antibiotics used to treat fungal infections, The Hill reports.
While healthy people may be able to fight off the infection on their own, the fungus can be deadly, especially in healthcare settings, where it can quickly spread amongst a vulnerable population. "If you get infected with this pathogen that's resistant to any treatment, there's no treatment we can give you to help combat it. You're all on your own," Melissa Nolan, an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of South Carolina, told Nexstar...
A recent study found that Candida auris is gaining virulence and spreading rapidly, not just in the U.S., but also globally. Candida auris has already been found in at least 61 countries on six continents.
Some context from Newsweek: There are strategies available to combat Candida auris infection. While the superbug can develop ways to evade the immune response, vaccination and treatment strategies are possible, but researchers would like them to be strengthened. Four classes of antifungal drugs are currently available, with varying degrees of efficacy, and three new drugs are currently in trials or at newly approved stages
While healthy people may be able to fight off the infection on their own, the fungus can be deadly, especially in healthcare settings, where it can quickly spread amongst a vulnerable population. "If you get infected with this pathogen that's resistant to any treatment, there's no treatment we can give you to help combat it. You're all on your own," Melissa Nolan, an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of South Carolina, told Nexstar...
A recent study found that Candida auris is gaining virulence and spreading rapidly, not just in the U.S., but also globally. Candida auris has already been found in at least 61 countries on six continents.
Some context from Newsweek: There are strategies available to combat Candida auris infection. While the superbug can develop ways to evade the immune response, vaccination and treatment strategies are possible, but researchers would like them to be strengthened. Four classes of antifungal drugs are currently available, with varying degrees of efficacy, and three new drugs are currently in trials or at newly approved stages
the last of us (Score:1)
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Re: the last of us (Score:2)
Kinda sorta warning and no solutions.
The only solution for any of the major trade blocks (EU/China/US) is to first ban antifungals in agriculture, then to impose escalating tariffs and finally travel bans on any trading partners not doing likewise.
If you isolate yourself from the commons, you don't suffer the tragedy of the commons. In a good little globalist economy, not hurrying along resistance harms your economy.
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Re:the last of us (Score:5, Informative)
We don't combat it, we die. That's why epidemiologists have been warning about the overuse of anti-biotics for decades.
Antibiotics do nothing against fungus.
Re:the last of us (Score:4, Insightful)
Antibiotics do nothing against fungus.
Nonsense! Antibiotics kill the bacterium that is competing with the fungus. More resources for the fungus.
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Antibiotics do nothing against fungus.
Nonsense! Antibiotics kill the bacterium that is competing with the fungus. More resources for the fungus.
Re-parse what Geoffrey wrote. Is it your thesis that doing something against fungus is helping the fungus?
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Is it your thesis that doing something against fungus is helping the fungus?
That's the joke.
Re:the last of us (Score:5, Informative)
>>"We don't combat it, we die. That's why epidemiologists have been warning about the overuse of anti-biotics for decades."
>"Antibiotics do nothing against fungus"
Correct (and it is baffling why the article mentions "antibiotics") they are not used to treat fungi.
But what "sdinfoserv" was probably talking about is that bacteria often keep fungi in check. When antibiotics are used (and over used), it can wipe out all the "good" bacteria and the fungi start spreading out of control because they have free reign. This is a common problem for women with internal yeast infections after taking antibiotics, for example.
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It mentions 'antibiotics' instead of antifungal medications because journalism is dead. Once upon a time a science writer would have some background in science and a business writer would have some background (or at least education) in business. Those days are long gone.
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We don't combat it, we die. That's why epidemiologists have been warning about the overuse of anti-biotics for decades.
Antibiotics do nothing against fungus.
True, but the same lesson is valid for broad spectrum anti-fungals like Amphotericin B.
It's an indictment of the poor way the US treats health care, not just the poor health care system but also the "quick fix" attitude of many Americans. If they get any illness they'll demand the doctor gives them magic pills (a broad spectrum cure, like azithromycin(zithromax)) rather than suffer through a minor illness and of course, the for profit health care system is more than happy to oblige (as is the greater cor
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It's an indictment of the poor way the US treats health care, not just the poor health care system but also the "quick fix" attitude of many Americans. If they get any illness they'll demand the doctor gives them magic pills (a broad spectrum cure, like azithromycin(zithromax)) rather than suffer through a minor illness and of course, the for profit health care system is more than happy to oblige (as is the greater corporate America, who don't want their serfs taking a week off to get better). Overuse of medication when the patient will get better with rest and isolation is why pathogens evolve to become resistant to them.
Yes, there are issues within the US where we overprescribe drugs that often suppress the immune system. But you have somehow made our healthcare system cause a global problem. Fortunately, this does not exist anywhere else in the world, where they do things the right way... Where only people in the US have an issue, based on your "proof". While the erst of the world is hale and healthy... But sumpin's wrong here.
A Fungus discovered in Japan, and now resident in 61 countries - Pray tell us how this is th
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We don't combat it, we die. That's why epidemiologists have been warning about the overuse of anti-biotics for decades.
Antibiotics do nothing against fungus.
True, dat. I'm more concerned about people happily gobbling medications that are immunodepressants. Not done any actual research, but on the television shows my wife watches, The commercials give me the impression that the list of drugs that do suppress the immune system, often for trivial issues, is pretty big, and looks like it is growing.
A fertile field for candida auris to do its work.
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We don't combat it, we die. That's why epidemiologists have been warning about the overuse of anti-biotics for decades.
That's one reason I quit in Brownsville, Texas. These dumbshits would run across to Matamoros for a virus, and then come in four days later because "it isn't working." Then I found out they were using "Amoxicina" for the flu or something. Lately, we have some asshole on Fox News advertising a "emergency urgent care kit" or some nonsense like that. He prefixes it by talking about the cold and flu season. Of course, not one of the medications in his kit actually do anything about the cold or flu, and some ar
Re: the last of us (Score:2)
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That's why epidemiologists have been warning about the overuse of anti-biotics for decades.
You make a good general point. On the other hand: antibiotics aren't useful against fungal infections.
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We don't combat it, we die. That's why epidemiologists have been warning about the overuse of anti-biotics for decades.
And it isn't just antibiotics. So many maintenance drugs pushed on people today have as one of their side effects, damaging our immune system, It makes for an enlarging market for the new opportunist diseases. So we scramble for new treatments at the same time we purposely nuke our immune systems.
https://www.goodrx.com/drugs/s... [goodrx.com] The list grows, and take your maintenance meds people!
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sounds like there is nothing to be done for this one. if it is resistant to everything how can we combat it?
We can't. Best we can hope for is a new superhero origin story based on this unstoppable fungus. :-)
Seems more like a DC thing than Marvel... Anyone got a good name for him/her/it?
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Anyone got a good name for him/her/it?
That's "them", you insensitive clod!
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sounds like there is nothing to be done for this one. if it is resistant to everything how can we combat it?
We can't. Best we can hope for is a new superhero origin story based on this unstoppable fungus. :-)
Seems more like a DC thing than Marvel... Anyone got a good name for him/her/it?
Not to be contradictory for y'all, but if we read the story, there are three medications in testing now. FTA:
"The review calls for improved efforts to raise awareness about the fungal disease via better surveillance mechanisms, especially in resource-poor countries. It notes that three new drugs that are currently in clinical trials could likely become available for treatment of this fungal infection soon."
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Something not right (Score:2)
"The fungus, which can spread easily in healthcare settings such as hospitals and nursing homes" - huh? Settings like these are supposed to be MUCH cleaner and germ free than, say, a typical household. Why can fungus spread easily in these environments that are supposed to be as close as possible to sterile?
Re:Something not right (Score:4, Insightful)
There's a number of reasons, but the primary one would be that we've concentrated the immune compromised there. There's just more people with weaker immune systems available for exposure.
Plus, by sterilizing everything, a bug that can survive said sterilization better will have essentially an open field to propagate in.
In addition, such environments tend to be less sterile than promised.
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Why can fungus spread easily in these environments that are supposed to be as close as possible to sterile?
It is because it's so clean.
I don't worry about something like that spreading around at home because what lingers here would eat that fungus for breakfast.
Or make pasta ai fungi from it and eat it for dinner.
Re:Something not right (Score:5, Informative)
Hospitals and doctor's offices are where the sick often congregate. Plenty of people spread diseases to others in waiting rooms etc. Doctors/nurses/etc. do their best to keep these areas clean and sterile, but that's often not possible, especially when certain pathogens (such as c. auris) are resistant to measures that can normally sterilize surfaces.
C. auris is particularly hardy:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/a... [nih.gov]
I've read some articles in the past that this fungus survives UV exposure, heating/cooling, and broad spectrum antifungal chemical exposure (bleach, hydrogen peroxide, etc.). It's really hard to get rid of in a hospital setting, so much so that it used to be that hospitals that had c. auris infestations didn't like it to be advertised. Most patients won't suffer any I'll effects from exposure, but a few (notably the immunocompromised) can die from it.
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One tidbit, "Apart from being a skin pathogen, C. auris colonizes the surfaces of medical devices. Medical devices are hospital tools and components often utilized for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases associated with human skin."
Pretty bad when the fungus likes medical equip. that is used to diagnose people.
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Yup. I can't link it because I don't have time to find the supporting article(s), but I read that c.auris can survive in a contaminated hospital room for weeks through multiple bleachings/peroxide cleanings, UV exposures, etc. AND as the link I did post indicated, it gets all over catheters and other bits and bobs. And in bedding, hospital gowns, basically everything. It's awful for people susceptible to it, and "just another yeast" to everyone else.
Fortunately it does seem that we're slowly beginning t
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Re:Something not right (Score:4, Interesting)
Hospitals and nursing homes are places where sick or frail people are concentrated, thus creating an environment in which community-acquired infections spread very easily and rapidly. Standard disinfection procedures can only go so far; we can see this by comparing it to, say, isolation protocols to prevent exposure to highly infectious BSL-4 pathogens such as ebolavirus. In such cases, healthcare workers must wear a positive pressure personnel suit, and building construction and ventilation must be designed to ensure the airflow does not contaminate clean areas.
What this tells us is that, even with diligent cleaning and disinfection in a hospital setting, pathogens remain around us. Fungal spores are omnipresent--they are hardy, microscopic, and airborne. The reason why we aren't all dropping dead is because our immune systems prevent these pathogens from gaining a foothold. But when a pathogen is extremely virulent, hardy, and able to escape the immune response, that is when we have a problem. And concentrating the most vulnerable of us in one place is how they pop up. That's not to say that hospitals and nursing homes can't do better--of course, they can and should. But from the administrator's perspective, it's a matter of cost/benefit ratio, and that's why many (or even most) institutions have substandard practices for infection control.
Re:Something not right (Score:4, Informative)
Fungal spores are generally resistant to typical cleaning solutions that have alcohol and/or chlorine. This one in particular seems to have a list of ones known to work:
https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-... [epa.gov]
But what about the bedsheets and the chair cushions in the waiting room? Hmm....
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>"But what about the bedsheets and the chair cushions in the waiting room? Hmm...."
Yeah, that list, 100% of them are on "hard nonporus" surfaces. So apparently useless for carpet, clothing, bedding, curtains, etc... And then there are the spores which are probably in the air all the time, just waiting to re-establish colonies when conditions are right.
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Wow, thanks for the replies. Scary stuff!
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Copper is more expensive, and will reduce profits! Won't someone think of the executives' bonuses? How can you deprive them of their second apartment for their mistress? Have you no heart?
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"The fungus, which can spread easily in healthcare settings such as hospitals and nursing homes" - huh? Settings like these are supposed to be MUCH cleaner and germ free than, say, a typical household. Why can fungus spread easily in these environments that are supposed to be as close as possible to sterile?
Confucius say, bathroom can be cleanest room in house, it still has all your shit
Uh oh (Score:1)
Lock down every one and put a cork in our ass
Umm... (Score:5, Informative)
because they're resistant to all types of antibiotics used to treat fungal infections,
Yeah...you're not supposed to use antibiotics for that, you're supposed to use antifungals.
Re:Umm... (Score:4, Insightful)
because they're resistant to all types of antibiotics used to treat fungal infections,
Yeah...you're not supposed to use antibiotics for that, you're supposed to use antifungals.
In the same way you're supposed to use an anti-viral for a virus rather than an anti-parasitic.
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because they're resistant to all types of antibiotics used to treat fungal infections,
Yeah...you're not supposed to use antibiotics for that, you're supposed to use antifungals.
In the same way you're supposed to use an anti-viral for a virus rather than an anti-parasitic.
I see what you did there, though I'm guessing some of U.S. electorate, and one HHS Secretary, won't. Nicely done. :-)
Re: Umm... (Score:2)
That's like having your car's engine stall, and when you tried to start it again, it doesn't. So you decided to try changing a tire to see if that would fix it. You then get in your car, and the engine starts. Success! Changing the tire fixed it! See, there's evidence that changing a tire fixes engine problems!
Well no, it didn't do anything. The tire isn't even relevant.
Antivirals, which are all targeted to a specific type of virus, act by interfering with normal cell functions that the particular virus nee
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"Viruses are small obligate intracellular *parasites*, which by definition contain either a RNA or DNA genome surrounded by a protective, virus-coded protein coat."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/b... [nih.gov]
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Fungal infections are going to get more common (Score:5, Informative)
Expect fungal infections in general to become more common as global warming pushes fungi to adapt to temperatures closer to human body temperature:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/a... [nih.gov]
Just take some ivermectin (Score:2)
I like the fact that our current country situation is so bad that drug resistant super bacteria is relatively low on the list of problems.
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Or maybe some colloidal silver. It's certainly okay that we have cut billions of dollars to funding scientific research because there's nothing homeopathy can't cure right?
Colloidal silver is almost certainly useless when taken orally, but don't knock silver in general. It is used in wound dressings for a reason. Candida auris [nih.gov] is one of those reasons. From the article:
The antifungal susceptibility testing of silver nanoparticles under planktonic conditions of C. auris isolates showed significant antimicrobial activity against all C. auris isolates, the MIC of AgNPs was <6.25 g/mL, and the MFC was 12.5 g/mL for all isolates, except one isolate was 6.25 g/mL.
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Colloidal Silver is sold by many scammers. Having an ounce of truth makes it even easier to scam. I've seen stuff that was sold as specially prepared by devout Christians which was MORE effective that other brands; so much so they could greatly reduce the expensive silver used while maintaining superior effectiveness!
CDC has not updated page (Score:2)
If you go here:
https://www.cdc.gov/candida-au... [cdc.gov]
You will see the CDC data... from 2023.
The current Administration (Trump / RFK Jr) has not updated the data for 2024 yet. It's 2026, they had a year. It should take months.
I had this during Covid (Score:2)
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not nice (Score:4, Informative)
A Drug-Resistant 'Superbug' Fungus Infected 7,000 Americans in 2025
That's not a nice thing to call him, and besides, it was a lot more then 7,000 people. it was more than 1/2 the country!
Echinocandins required (Score:2)
Echinocandins are required to break through the walls and biofilms of this fungus.
MRSA is opportunistic in subjects with existing C. auris and C. spp infections.
MS-like symptoms from toxic exudates emerge over time.
Antibiotics for fungal infections? (Score:2)
That does not work. What is this stupid-ass reporting?