The fungi also called yeast that when entering the bloodstream, can cause severe infections, especially in those patients with weakened immune systems. / A.M. Costa Rica wire services photo.
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Specialists confirm hospitalization of
patient infected with dangerous fungus
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Doctors at the Calderón Guardia Hospital* in San José confirm the hospitalization of a patient infected with Candida auris which has a 30-60 percent mortality rate.
According to the representatives of the Hospital, the patient underwent a diagnostic test and, in view of the positive result with the fungus, the safety protocol was carried out.
"After being diagnosed by a first blood test, a patient infected with Candida auris is isolated and with the necessary medication so that the life of the patient or other users is not at risk," said the hospital in its statement.
Dr. Taciano Lemos Pires, general director of the hospital, said the situation was controlled from the start and the patient has a stable health condition, and is in isolation from other patients according to the protocol established at the institutional level.
The hospital staff in charge of the patient is aware of the situation and maintains strict infection prevention controls. In addition, as part of the protocol for the protection of other patients, the entire area was sanitized.
Doctors are waiting for the result of other medical tests done on the patient so that they can continue with the protocol established to attend this case.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Candida auris is a genus of unicellular fungi also called yeast that when entering the bloodstream, can cause severe infections, especially in those patients with weakened immune systems.
Candida auris was first described after it was isolated from the ear channel of a 70-year-old Japanese woman at the Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital in Japan in 2009.
In 2011 South Korea saw its first cases of disease-causing Candida auris. Reportedly, this spread across Asia and Europe, and first appeared in the U.S. in 2013
DNA analysis of Candida auris indicates an evolutionary divergence taking place at least 4,000 years ago, with a common leap among the four varieties in drug-resistance possibly linked to widespread azole-type antifungal use in agriculture.
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Have you heard about cases of people infected with this fungus? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to: news@amcostarica.com
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