Candida auris is a type of yeast that can cause severe illness and is often resistant to antifungal medication
Howard Lloyd Regional content editor and Carrington Walker GAU Writer
16:53, 31 Dec 2025Updated 16:53, 31 Dec 2025
Scientists have warned that Candida auris could be the next ‘global health threat’
A group of scientists has raised the alarm about a drug-resistant strain of a common fungus, labelling it a ‘global health threat’. Candida auris (C. Auris) is a yeast that can cause severe illness and spreads rapidly among critically ill patients in healthcare settings.
The severity of the infection can range from a mild skin condition to more serious, potentially fatal complications such as bloodstream infections. Alarmingly, C. Auris often exhibits resistance to antifungal medications, which means the fungus can overcome the drugs intended to eliminate it.
This resistance can render medical treatments ineffective. Each year, nearly 6.5 million people globally are affected by fungal infections, reports Surrey Live. The challenge in treating these infections can lead to a mortality rate exceeding 50 per cent.
C. Auris poses a particular risk to individuals with compromised immune systems. First identified in 2009 in a patient’s ear canal in Japan, it has since been detected worldwide and was declared a public health threat in India in 2014.
C. Auris can infect various parts of the body, including the blood, wounds, and ears.
Symptoms depend on the location and severity of the infection. They may resemble those of bacterial infections, such as fever or chills, but there isn’t a standard set of symptoms specific to C. Auris infections.
“Candida auris (Candidozyma auris) is an emerging human fungal pathogen causing disseminated infections of high mortality (30–72%) in individuals with underlying diseases or impaired immunity,” the study reads.
“The pronounced skin tropism and pan-antifungal resistance of Candida auris pose a serious global health threat. A key question in C. auris biology is how clinical isolates acquire amphotericin B resistance.”
Individuals can harbour C. auris on their skin and elsewhere on the body without displaying any symptoms – a state healthcare professionals term as ‘colonisation’. Those who are colonised have the potential to contaminate surrounding surfaces and objects, as well as transmit the fungus to other patients.
The research highlights that the organism is swiftly developing drug resistance through its capacity to transform from a yeast-like state into a filament-based mode of propagation. Additionally, it possesses cell wall proteins that allow it to adhere to human skin “like glue” and establish colonies.
The pathogen features “efflux pumps” located on its cellular membrane, which can expel antifungal medications before they prove lethal. Furthermore, it forms clusters that create viscous biofilm coatings on surfaces, making drug penetration particularly challenging.
Rohini Manuel, consultant medical microbiologist at UKHSA, commented: “C. auris rarely causes infections in healthy people although it can pose a risk to people in healthcare settings with weakened immune systems. Rates of C. auris in hospitals in England are very low, however they have been rising in recent years.
“UKHSA is working with the NHS to investigate the reasons behind this. Factors may include a rise in the fungus globally. Hospital outbreaks in this country are rare but we are supporting a small number of Trusts to limit the spread of C. auris.”