New York City is seeing an outbreak of Candida auris, an often multidrug-resistant fungus, at hospitals citywide, a report in the CDC's Emerging Infectious Diseases found.
As of February, most confirmed clinical C. auris cases in the U.S. were identified in New York, and case numbers are growing.
The researchers found 51 clinical and 61 screening cases in New York state. Every case was diagnosed in New York City, excluding one clinical case found in a western New York hospital. The C. auris detection in New York healthcare facilities is "concerning," the researchers said.
The researchers visited facilities with suspected transmission to "emphasize the importance of detection, assist with infection control efforts and conduct point prevalence surveys of facility contacts," they wrote.
The researchers did not determine why C. auris cases are prevalent in New York City.
"Possibilities include a true higher prevalence from multiple introductions into this international port of entry; more complete detection from aggressive case finding; presence of a large interconnected network of healthcare facilities in New York City; or a combination of all three factors," the researchers wrote.