A new scientific review says there may be hope for new treatments, but deadly drug-resistant bacteria that are already rapidly spreading in U.S. hospitals pose an even greater threat around the world.
Candida auris (C. auris), often expressed as: “Superbug bacteria” “The virus is spreading around the world and becoming increasingly resistant to the human immune system,” researchers at the Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI) said in a review published in early December.
The findings reinforced previous CDC warnings that the agency had classified C. auris as an “emergency antimicrobial threat” (the first fungal pathogen to receive that designation) as infections surge in the United States, particularly in hospitals and long-term care facilities.
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In 2025, there were approximately 7,000 confirmed cases in dozens of U.S. states. According to the CDC: It is reported to be confirmed in at least 60 countries.
The review, published in Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews, helps explain why it is so difficult to contain pathogens, warning that outdated diagnostics and limited treatments are holding us back. The study was conducted by Dr. Neeraj Chauhan of the Hackensack Meridian CDI in New Jersey, Dr. Anuradha Chaudhary of the Mycology Unit at the University of Delhi, and Dr. Michael Lionakis, Chief of the Clinical Mycology Program at the National Institutes of Health.
Their findings highlight the need to “develop novel antifungal agents with broad spectrum activity against human fungal pathogens, improve diagnostic tests, and develop adjuvant immune- and vaccine-based therapies for the treatment of high-risk patients,” the researchers said. In a statement.
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“Furthermore, future efforts include fungal diseases “Through developing better surveillance mechanisms, especially in resource-poor countries,” the researchers added, “all these developments should help improve outcomes and prognosis for patients suffering from opportunistic fungal infections.”
Researchers say C. auris was first identified in ear samples from patients in Japan in 2009 and has since spread to dozens of countries, including the United States, with outbreaks forcing the closure of intensive care units in some hospitals.
The fungus poses the greatest risk to people who are already seriously ill, especially those on ventilators and those with weakened immune systems. According to some estimates, infection can kill about half of patients.
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Unlike many other fungi, C. auris survives on human skin and attaches to hospital surfaces and medical equipment, making it easily spread in healthcare settings.
“It is resistant to multiple antifungal drugs and tends to spread in hospital settings, including equipment used for immunocompromised and semi-immunocompromised patients, such as ventilators and catheters,” said Dr. Mark Siegel, senior medical analyst for Fox News and professor of clinical medicine at New York University Langone. He previously told FOX News Digital.
It is also often misdiagnosed, delaying treatment and infection control.
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“Unfortunately, symptoms such as fever, chills, and aches are ubiquitous and can be mistaken for other infections,” Siegel said.
He said in September that intense research was underway to develop new treatments.
Only four major classes of antifungal drugs are currently available, but C. auris has already shown resistance to many of them. Three new antifungal drugs have been approved or are in late-stage trials, but researchers warn that drug development is struggling to keep up with fungal evolution.
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Despite the sobering findings, there is still room for cautious optimism.
in another study Scientists at the University of Exeter in the UK discovered a potential weakness in C. auris while studying the fungus in a live host model, published in December.
In a paper published in the Nature portfolio journal Communications Biology in December, the team found that during infection, the fungus activates specific genes to harvest iron, a nutrient it needs to survive.
Because iron is essential for pathogens, researchers believe that drugs that block this process could ultimately thwart infection and even allow existing drugs to be repurposed.
Dr Hugh Gifford, clinical lecturer at the University of Exeter and co-author of the study, said: “We believe our study may have revealed the Achilles heel of this deadly pathogen in active infection.” In a statement.
As researchers scramble to better understand the fungus, authorities warn that strict infection control, rapid detection and continued investment in new treatments remain critical.
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Health experts stress that C. auris is not a threat to humans. healthy person.
Fox News Digital has reached out to CDI researchers and additional experts for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Angelica Stabile contributed reporting.
