CANDIDA AURIS: THE UNWELCOME SUPERFUNGUS
MARINA IONELA ILIE 1, BEATRICE MAHLER 1,2*, GINA CIOLAN 1,2, ALEXANDRU STOICHIȚĂ 1,2, OANA POPESCU 2, MĂDĂLINA PREDA 1,2, DENISA IOANA UDEANU 1,2, ANDREEA LETIȚIA ARSENE 1,2, ANCA FÂCĂ 2, DOINA DRĂGĂNESCU 1, VIOREL JINGA 1, BRUNO ȘTEFAN VELESCU 1
1“Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 37 Dionisie Lupu Street, 020021, Bucharest, Romania
2“Marius Nasta” Pneumophthisiology Institute, 90 Viilor Road, 050159, Bucharest, Romania
*corresponding author: beatrice.mahler@umfcd.ro
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The incidence of nosocomial fungal infections has increased in recent years. The most common infection of this type is candidiasis. Some yeasts of the genus Candida are commensal in healthy humans, but can cause systemic infections in immunocompromised situations due to their great adaptability to different physiological states of the host. Although only discovered in 2009, Candida auris is one of the species that has rapidly become a serious threat to global health. The severity of infections with this species is characterized by multidrug resistance to antifungal treatment, a short transmission time and an aggressive epidemiological profile. It is difficult to identify and can be easily confused with other fungal species. The emergence of outbreaks in some parts of the world is still difficult to explain, but the emergence of infection prevention and management protocols may minimise the risks. C. auris has also attracted the attention of researchers from a genetic point of view, its ability to resist treatment being characterised by the presence of specific resistance genes. Understanding the traits of C. auris species is particularly important for developing appropriate therapies and implementing effective prevention strategies. We can say that this species represents one of the current challenges for public health systems worldwide.
