Candida auris: a deadly fungus attacks in the countries of the region and puts Argentina on alert – 04/08/2019

A mushroom called Candida auris It is spreading all over the world. It affects patients with long stays in the hospital, especially in intensive care units, and it is difficult to eradicate it as it resistant to most drugs. So far, no reports have been reported in Argentina, although in other countries of the region.

It was first identified in 2009 in a Japanese patient. Since then, there have been cases on different continents, especially in countries such as South Korea, South Africa, Kuwait, and India. In October 2016, the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization issued an alert. "before the first outbreaks in Latin America" ​​because there were cases in Venezuela, Colombia and the United States.

He settled in New York (309 confirmed cases), Illinois (144) and New Jersey (104). As a result, at the end of March, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a statement warning that this fungus "poses a serious threat to global health."

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In this report, the CDC also published a map of the world situation. Argentinian figurine in whitewhich means that no case was reported until February 2019.

Consulted by ClarinConstanza Taverna, from the Department of Mycology of the Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán Institute, confirms that "to date, no cases have been reported" in our country. When asked if he is able to install, he responds that he "can go anywhere."

"The alert started in November 2016 through the PAHO / WHO .We also issued a statement alerting all laboratories because we have a network of laboratories, which was also published by the Argentine Association of Microbiology, "continued Taverna. In this text, they explained how to identify the candida auris and how to treat these cases.

"What we have is the diagnostic ability to be able to detect it, and that is why we are preparing labs so that they know how to work in case of contamination, we give courses of training and we are always communicating with all the laboratories, "adds the expert.

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Regarding the transmission, Taverna emphasizes that "it is not a virus", but that they are called "opportunistic pathogens". He adds: "In general, this concerns immunocompromised patients, patients hospitalized for several days, antibiotics administered for several days and catheters."

When asked if this could be brought by a person who is infected in another country then goes to Argentina, he replies that "Yes, persists in the bodies"although he repeats that "it is not a virus" and that it occurs in a hospital setting. In addition, he explains that "now, as the alert is, the patient is not usually released until certain samples are taken and determined I do not have anymore in the body. "

For his part, Dr. Eduardo López, infectious diseases specialist at Ricardo Gutiérrez Children's Hospital, comments Clarín: "At the hospital, where the immunocompromised population is important, we have no case of Candida auris, but that does not exclude that it will happen in the future . "

Before asking if these mushrooms can be brought by people who travel or migrate, he replies that "yes, these mushrooms are distributed in the environment and can possibly be transported by a person, but to affect them, they must to be patients who are usually hospitalized, immunocompromised or with treatments that lower the defenses ". And he points out: "a normal individual is not going to catch him".

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"There is a national alert for multidrug-resistant germs that contains as many bacteria as mushrooms, and let's not forget that the antifungal resistance of several fungi has increased in recent years." The same thing has happened with antibiotics for several bacteria. what are called mushrooms and intrahospital bacteria, "continues López.

With regard to prevention methods, he points out that one should wash one's hands frequently, wearing gloves and a camisole to handle the sick, especially the immunocompromised, who are the most affected. Procedures such as catheterization, bladder catheters and bypbad valves are also risk factors for fungus acquisition.

PS