Candida auris outbreak at a tertiary care hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Am J Infect Control
; 52(8): 878-883, 2024 08.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38537678
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Candida auris (C auris) is a fungal pathogen that has the potential for environmental persistence leading to outbreaks in health care settings. There has been a worldwide surge in C auris outbreaks during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this report, we describe an outbreak of C auris, its control, patient outcomes, and lessons learned.METHODS:
The outbreak occurred in a 600-bed adult academic tertiary care hospital. Contact tracing was initiated immediately after identification of the index case and surveillance testing for C auris was obtained from patients who were exposed to the index case. Infection prevention measures were closely followed.RESULTS:
A total of 560 cultures were performed on 453 unique patients between August 2021 and December 2021. Of those, 31 cultures (5.5%) were positive for C auris; 27 (87.1%) were colonized with C auris, while 4 patients developed a clinical infection (12.9%). The secondary attack rate was 6.8% (31/453). The 30-day all-cause mortality rate for all patients who tested positive for C auris was 9.7%.DISCUSSION:
C auris can cause protracted outbreaks that result in colonization and invasive infections. Multidisciplinary work to improve adherence to infection prevention measures as well as targeted admission screening are essential to limit outbreaks.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Candidiasis
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Disease Outbreaks
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Tertiary Care Centers
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SARS-CoV-2
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COVID-19
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Candida auris
Limits:
Adult
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Aged
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Aged80
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
Language:
En
Journal:
Am J Infect Control
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Publication country:
EEUU
/
ESTADOS UNIDOS
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ESTADOS UNIDOS DA AMERICA
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EUA
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UNITED STATES
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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
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US
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USA