A report in Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control details the ongoing outbreak of Candida auris, a globally emerging, multidrug-resistant yeast, in a London hospital's cardiothoracic center.
The outbreak is first report of C. auris in Europe.
In June, the CDC alerted U.S. healthcare facilities about the yeast, noting it can cause invasive, highly deadly infections. C. auris has affected individuals in nine countries since 2009, although the recent outbreak in London is the largest so far. The CDC knows of only one isolate of C. auris detected in the United States in 2013.
There have been 50 C. auris cases from April 2015 to July 2016 in London. According to the report, 44 percent of patients developed possible or proven C. auris infection with a candidaemia rate of 18 percent. Candidaemia is a common cause of nosocomial bloodstream infections. Additionally, environmental sampling showed persistent presence of the yeast around bed space areas.
The center has implemented strict infection prevention and control measures including:
• Isolating cases and their contacts
• Healthcare workers wearing personal protective clothing
• Screening patients on affected wards
• Decontaminating skin with chlorhexidine
• Conducting environmental cleaning with chorine-based reagents and hydrogen peroxide vapor