With a spade
March 23, 2023, 9:01 am
Colonies of Candida ear that multiply in hospital grounds in the United States of America are of great interest to health authorities, who have issued established protocols in all 50 states to comply with the action in the face of drug-resistant fungal infections, which in many cases have led to death.
through the voice of America
This fungus has been considered in the “critical priority” of the four most dangerous fungi from the list of 19 last October announced by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has also alerted to the growth of the box in Latin America.
Proliferation
Ear candidiasis causes serious infections in the bloodstream of hospitalized patients who already have complications from other clinical conditions or in geriatric institutions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States (CDC) – imposing maximum vigilance this week – has instructed health workers to follow specific protocols to try to stop their proliferation.
Expert Pilar Ramón-Pardo, advisor on Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection, from PAHO, the Voice of America indicates that this focus in the US is important and adds to what has been done by the regional instance one in 2016. recently updated, with an increasing number of treated patients, who according to estimates between two out of three infected die within the first month of infection with the fungus.
“It is important to monitor ear candida for several reasons, the main thing is that it produces a serious infection, it is detected in the blood, that is, septicemia, and there is not even one effective treatment for this type of fungus, because it is extremely resistant,” explains the expert.
Unlike other candidates in the spectrum of this fungal species, the ear strain is easily transmitted through contact with hospital equipment and utensils, and even from person to person by touch, “which does not happen with other candidate diseases”, explains the doctor. – Leopard
In addition to the blood, the researchers discovered that the earwax in the ears of the patients, hence the name of the ear, was the first case reported in a geriatric center in Japan when persistent ear infections were found in patients and spread throughout the blood stream.
Going from 56 cases in 2016, when the first records of patients infected with this fungus were available in the United States, to 2,377 cases in 2022, it shows an exponential increase of five times each year, according to CDC estimates.
Therefore, the disease monitored organization shows that when outbreaks occur in health care settings “it is important that candidiasis is recognized quickly so that health centers can take special precautions to stop its spread.”
Predominantly songs in the US and Latin America
Five variants of this mushroom are going around the world today. Discovered in 2009 in an adult care center in Japan, in 2012 it was discovered in other countries and in 2016 it was already in the number of health care institutions. .
PAHO Mycology consultant, Agustina Forastiero, explains to VOA which species have been detected in Latin America and why this fungus can be difficult to control.
Even in the country, there are great opportunities to detect it in time and prevent its proliferation, since the state of analysis of the automated art is necessary that can filter out each fungus, to differentiate the ear from other relatives of Candida, according to the expert.
To the surprise of researchers, Forastiero explains, the growth and spread of the fungus throughout the planet is believed to be linked to global warming, since this family is resistant to high temperatures, which facilitate its spread in suitable environments.
“When you start to study why Candida auris emerges in different continents almost at the same time, it is believed to be due to the increase in global temperature, because this has the particularity that it can withstand temperatures up to 42 degrees (Celsius. ) allowing that they can survive in the environment unlike others”.
In Colombia, Venezuela, Chile and Argentina, the appearance of some of these methods has already been reported, the authorities have warned for “exposing risks” in the country’s health system, with fewer resources and a higher density of hospital occupation. spaces
to follow the judgments
Given the proliferation of this resistant fungus within medical centers in the United States, the CDC warns that this pathogen can colonize spaces and patients for months, which is why it urges to expand large mechanisms and exchange of information between different medical units.
Laboratories “erroneously” recognize Candida auris “when traditional biochemical methods are used to identify fungi,” he says, which is why he recommends that in the event of suspicions or high-risk areas in hospitals, the laboratory is notified for further investigation. .
At the same time, patients with a “higher risk of infection and asymptomatic colonization” should be monitored, including patients abroad who have stayed in hospitals in countries where outbreaks of this fungus have been recorded.
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