2 Collin County hospitals grapple with ‘superbug’ fungus outbreaks that have killed 4, officials say

Authorities confirmed Friday that two Dallas-area hospitals struggling with outbreaks of the incurable fungus are in Collin County and that four patients who were infected with the “superbug” in facilities have died.

National and local authorities have confirmed The morning news from Dallas that there was evidence of the “superbug” fungus, Candida auris, in two county hospitals. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had described the outbreaks in a report Thursday as an incurable fungus spreading in “two hospitals in the Dallas area.”

Chris Van Deusen, spokesperson for the Texas State Department’s health services, said Collin County is “investigating” the fungus. Officials declined to provide additional information on the two facilities.

Collin County officials released information about the fungus hours after The news‘ ask for information. The press release confirmed that two health facilities in the county had seen cases of drug-resistant variants and four patients had died after being infected.

The news contacted 12 county hospitals and health systems to ask questions about the fungus. Most did not respond. One, Plano’s Life Care Center, said they had seen no indication of the body.

Andy Wilson, spokesperson for Texas Health, which operates at least four health centers in the county, said “we are not currently giving interviews on this topic.”

An emerging infectious disease

Candida auris is a harmful form of yeast which is considered dangerous for hospital and nursing home patients with serious medical problems. It is most deadly when it enters the bloodstream, heart, or brain.

More than one in three patients with invasive C. auris infections die, according to the CDC. The fungus, which was discovered in 2009, has spread rapidly and has been found in a dozen countries.

The CDC said a group of 22 patients at hospitals in the Dallas area included two who were resistant to the three main classes of antifungal drugs. These two patients died.

The cases in the Dallas area – as well as a cluster at a Washington, DC nursing home – were seen from January through April, the CDC said. He reported that both are ongoing outbreaks and additional infections have been identified since April. But these added figures have not been reported.

Experts said The news that the fungus mainly affects severely immunocompromised or elderly people. Outbreaks in healthcare facilities have been triggered when the fungus has spread through contact with patients or on contaminated surfaces.

Symptoms of invasive Candida infection are fever and chills that do not respond to antibiotics. But only a lab test can diagnose the infection.

Dr Meghan Lyman of the CDC had said it was “really the first time we have started to see a resistance pool” in which patients appeared to pick up infections from each other.

“Although we have only seen a small number of cases, it is likely that there are more unidentified cases,” she said in a written statement provided to The news. “Currently, at least 10 cases have been identified in two states that were either resistant to first-line treatment or resistant to all available treatment options.

“We urge healthcare institutions to take proactive measures to identify and prevent the spread of this fungus so that it does not gain a foothold in their patient population,” she added.

Van Deusen said Texas issued a health advisory on March 16 that informed healthcare providers of two pan-resistant infections – that is, those that are resistant to almost all classes of antifungal drugs. – January and February. He said no other pan-resistant cases had been identified in the state.

“The DSHS worked with Collin County Health Care Departments… to provide support, including visits to assess infection control practices and testing on people who may have been exposed,” Van said. Deusen.

After receiving The news‘Investigations, Collin County reported that two patients at the facilities had been infected with the pan-resistant variant of the fungus, one of whom died. Seven other patients were infected with the strain resistant to echinocandins and three of these patients died.

County officials did not say when the cases occurred, but said the outbreaks happened “recently.” They said the intractable fungus had “become of note” in Texas on January 5.

“A critical period”

Dr Luis Ostrosky, professor and head of infectious diseases at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth in Houston, said he was worried the fungus had been detected in Texas because there was “so much discussion” of patients between hospitals, nursing homes and long-term care facilities.

He said the organism is concerning because it is resistant to common antifungals and spreads in a pattern never seen before in yeasts, as it is spread in hospitals, rather than coming from a person’s own body.

“It’s very easy for him to really gain a foothold in one place and cause epidemics and pass it on to other places etc.,” Ostrosky said. “So if anything surprises me, it hasn’t happened until now.”

Ostrosky said there was hope on the horizon for new effective antifungals, but noted that epidemics are a reminder of the need to continually invest in the development of new antimicrobials.

“Now is a critical time where if we don’t actively seek it out and are very aware of it, isolate and know what to do when we have a patient, we are going to spread it in more and more facilities,” he said. .

He added that authorities may be reluctant to name facilities with an outbreak for fear that people will avoid going to them when they need care.

“It causes a lot of damage to the facility when they can have an outbreak contained,” Ostrosky said. “So I know that the policies of many public health agencies are not to identify facilities by name.”

Dr Lawrence Muscarella, an infection control expert, said he disagreed with the belief that the public can do nothing with information.

He said the CDC had identified the locations of other outbreaks, such as with COVID-19. Inconsistencies in these policies could create mistrust and reluctance to follow public health guidelines, he added.

“My alarm bells have sounded because a delay in alerting the public to this risk – which we have just learned about – can be problematic and present risks to the safety of the public,” he said. . “I wonder why we weren’t informed of the spread of this fungus in these facilities several weeks ago.”

Muscarella said patients who may be affected should ask their doctors about any outbreaks or clusters in the facility.

“If my doctor’s response is appropriate, I would feel comfortable, confident and carry on without losing sleep,” he said. “But if the answers to my questions seem vague as unlikely as it may be, I would choose another facility for my procedure.

“Under no circumstances, however, would I cancel the procedure,” he said. “I would just choose another more suitable, nearby and reputable installation to get it done. In general, when you ask questions, your security increases.