Deadly Fungus
Typically Found in Healthcare Facilities Caring for
Patients on Ventilators Is Spreading
The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) recently reported the spreading of a deadly fungus—C. auris—found frequently in healthcare facilities like nursing homes and hospitals that provide care for patients on ventilators. Medications normally used to treat fungal infections are not effective against C. auris. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the mortality rate for patients who develop infections with this organism affecting the heart, brain, or blood is greater than one out of every three patients.
As of September 30, NJDOH confirmed 141 cases of C. auris and indicated there were probably another 22 cases.
Infected patients are usually already sick due to another illness; consequently, symptoms of C. auris may not be noticed. Also, some patients may carry the fungus without contracting an infection—a situation the DOH describes as colonization.
According to the CDC, the fungus was first encountered in 2009. Recently, New Jersey has been dealing with a large percentage of the 806 cases confirmed nationwide in August 2019. Only Illinois and New York have a higher percent.
In 2016, the CDC alerted hospitals to start looking for the fungus. In May 2019, the CDC came out with information about how to screen patients at high risk for C. auris colonization. That information can be found at:
https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/candida-auris/c-auris-screening.html.
Along with screening patients at high risk, the CDC also recommends that nursing home residents who are colonized or infected with C. auris should be housed in single rooms when available and placed on Contact Precautions.
Compliance Perspective
Failing to screen residents using ventilators who are at high risk for infection or colonization by the C. auris fungus as part of a facility’s Infection Prevention and Control Program, and failing to follow CDC recommendations related to this organism, may be considered provision of substandard quality of care, in violation of federal and state regulations.
Discussion Points:
- Review policies and procedures regarding the nursing home’s Infection Prevention and Control Program to ensure that screening for colonization and infection by the deadly fungus C. auris is specifically addressed.
- Train employees about the infection prevention, control, and contact precautions to take with residents infected or colonized with the fungus.
- Periodically audit residents who use ventilators to determine if they have been screened for the C. auris fungus, and if new residents using ventilators are being screened as part of the admission process.
