For the first time, hospitals across India have been alerted about the threat of a killer multi-drug resistant fungus Candida auris, which has already hit several nations and whose presence in a number of ICUs here was taken note of some six years ago.
The deadly fungus can cause severe invasive infections in immune-compromised patients and even cause death.
"We are aware of the numerous outbreaks of Candida auris reported globally and from India. Intensive care patients with prolonged hospital stays and those having multiple underlying health conditions are most vulnerable targets," according to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) alert issued on September 16.
The advisory to healthcare providers calls for keeping an eye on the deadly fungus infection which causes serious bloodstream infections, spreads easily from person to person in health-care settings, and survives for months on skin and for weeks on hospital equipments like chairs and medical devices like Catheter.
The fungus has already become a global threat.
In a span of just seven years — it was first reported in Japan in 2009 — the fungus has already hit health facilities in countries like Pakistan, Japan, Korea, Spain, Venezuela,
South Africa, Columbia, UK and the US.
"C. auris was first identified in the ear of a patient in Japan and since then has emerged as a cause of hospital-acquired disease because of its growing resistance to antifungals such as azoles, echinocandins, and polyenes-used to treat Candida and other fungal infections," said Prof Arunaloke Chakrabarti, Professor and Head, Mycology Reference laboratory, Department of Medical Microbiology, PGIMER, Chandigarh.
"Data shows it has "high potential to cause outbreaks in healthcare facilities," said Dr Chakrabarti adding the exact source is harder to identify, which makes its treatment difficult.
Identification and susceptibility testing rapid and accurate identification of C. auris and adherence to infection control practices, along with ongoing public health surveillance and investigations, are needed to combat the spread of C. auris in India, the ICMR advisory says.
The most dangerous type of fungal infection is invasive candidiasis, when the yeast manages to get into the bloodstream. But it's also been found in wound and ear infections, and has been isolated from the respiratory tract, urine, bile fluid and even bone.
The ICMR has asked the hospitals to notify the suspected MDR fungus cases to labs at PGIMER Chandigarh and/or Delhi based Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute.