Dutch authorities preparing for outbreak of candida auris, a fungus that can be lethal

Dutch public health agency RIVM is preparing for a possible outbreak of the candida auris, a fungus classified by the agency's American counterparts at the CDC as presenting "a serious global health threat." The fungus can cause serious illness or even death in humans, and it can be difficult to treat as it is often resistant to multiple antifungal medications.

The fungus appears to be on the rise in the United States, and it is also on the rise in countries which border the Netherlands, according to the RIVM. The Dutch agency is working with the Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen on preparedness, a spokesperson for the institute confirmed after it was first reported by newspaper AD.

Candida auris is a rare type of yeast that is difficult to treat, RIVM researcher Thijs Bosch recently explained in a published article about the fungus. Auris is a family of the more well-known candida albicans, which can cause vaginal yeast infections in women.

Researchers at Radboud University Medical Center said that candida auris appears to be less pathogenic than candida albicans. However, once in the bloodstream, both are usually life-threatening. This can include people being treated for blood cancers or diabetes, as well as those being treated with breathing tubes, feeding tubes, or different types of catheters, the CDC said. It can also affect people who have a condition that requires them to take multiple antibiotics. However, people with a healthy immune system seem to be able to clear up the infection on their own, the RIVM said.

Candida auris can spread from person to person, but it may also be transmitted through medical instruments, for example. In the Netherlands, these instruments are always thoroughly disinfected, said Bosch, "but there is always a minuscule chance that medical instruments, such as a catheter, for instance, could spread the fungus." The precise route of infection, however, is not yet fully understood, he added.

In the Netherlands, five cases of a candida auris infection have been discovered in the past five years. According to the RIVM spokesperson, these were all people who had contracted the fungus abroad. None of them became ill as a result. The fungus was discovered because they visited a hospital in the Netherlands after their trip, and were properly checked for possible infections due to their recent visit abroad. There is a higher risk of infection for people with a weakened immune system, such as those who have recently undergone organ transplantation.The RIVM now wants to have a surveillance plan ready in case candida auris also starts to proliferate in the Netherlands.

Symptoms of a candida auris infection may be difficult to detect, because often the patients have already been hospitalized with another serious illness when symptoms arise .The fungus can infect the bloodstream, wounds, or cause ear infections, the CDC said. "Because symptoms can vary greatly, a laboratory test is needed to determine whether a patient has a C. auris infection."