US CDC updates recommendations on Candida auris

Candida auris is an emerging pathogen with a high level of resistance to standard anti-fungal treatments. It is a causative agent of candidiasis, which when systemic (i.e. within the bloodstream) can result in high levels of mortality.

The US CDC released guidance last year on the reporting, diagnosis, treatment and control of C.auris. On the 16th February, CDC updated its guidance on this problematic pathogen, specifically in relation to infection control measures (https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/diseases/candidiasis/recommendations.html). CDC states that patients infected or colonised with C.auris should be placed in a single room and be subject to standard contact precautions. Items handled extensively by infected patients should be cleaned and disinfected. As C.auris can persist on surfaces within healthcare environments, CDC recommends that rooms of infected or colonised patients should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected on a daily basis and undergo terminal cleaning and disinfection. CDC had previously recommended that EPA registered disinfectants with proven efficacy against fungal species should be used; however, it now recommends that any disinfectant agents used should be EPA registered with proven efficacy against Clostridium difficile spores.

Bioquell’s hydrogen peroxide vapour technology uses an EPA registered sterilant which has been proven to not only be effective against C.difficile, but when used proactively within a hospital environment can reduce the rate of C.difficile acquisition (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18636950). It has also been used to control C.auris contamination within a UK hospital (https://aricjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13756-016-0132-5).