In a recent interview with STAT, Anne Schuchat, MD, acting director of the CDC, pointed to the deadly fungus Candida auris as a "catastrophic threat" to society.
C. auris is an emerging, deadly, drug-resistant yeast. Some strains are resistant to all three major classes of antifungal drugs, making it of particular concern.
The first domestic cases of C. auris infections in the U.S. were reported in November 2016 and as of April 13, 61 infections have been reported in six states, according to the CDC.
The threat of C. auris should spur officials to attempt to better contain the fungus and other superbugs, according to Dr. Schuchat."This is a big threat and a wake-up call," Dr. Schuchat told STAT. "It was a problem for Ebola. It was a problem for SARS. It's a problem for drug resistance."
The CDC revised its guidelines to control C. auris in February. See the full recommendation here.