The emergent drug-resistant fungus known as Candida auris, which the former acting U.S. CDC director named a "catastrophic threat," has infected more than 200 patients in the United Kingdom since 2013, according to a report from the BBC.
Here are five things to know.
1. C. auris is a drug-resistant yeast causing infections in healthcare settings around the globe. Some strains of the fungus are resistant to all three classes of antifungal medications. The fungus can cause serious bloodstream and wound infections.
2. The drug-resistant yeast was first identified in Japan in 2009 and spread to the U.K. in 2013.
3. As of July, more than 200 patients have been infected with C. auris at 20 separate National Health Services trusts and independent hospitals, according to the BBC.
4. Large outbreaks occurred at three U.K. hospitals since 2013, but have since ended. During one such outbreak at Royal Brompton Hospital in London, 50 patients were infected from April 2015 to July 2016.
As of July 14, the CDC has identified 98 C. auris infections among U.S. residents and detected colonization with the fungus in 110 patients.
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