Implementation of effective strategies to prevent Candida auris transmission in a Quaternary Care Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

ABSTRACT

This study outlines the results of an investigation of a large C. auris outbreak at King Saud Medical City (KSMC), a quaternary hospital in Saudi Arabia. We identified 122 cases of C. auris (colonization, 74; infection, 48) from June 2021 to June 2022. The mean patient age was 48.4 years, and the median duration of stay before diagnosis was 32.7 days. A significant proportion of patients (87.70%) were diagnosed with C. auris more than 3 days after admission to KSMC. The source of exposure was either nosocomial (from KSMC, 28.68%; from other hospitals, 16.39%) or unknown (54.91%). The hospitalization mortality rate was 45.90%. This report highlights the challenges in investigating and managing C. auris outbreaks, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive approach incorporating strategies for screening and early identification, effective environmental cleaning, and the implementation of stringent infection control measures such as hand hygiene, isolation of patient, standard and contact precaution and decolonization.