(Press-News.org) Houston, TX – Candida auris, an emerging fungal pathogen resistant to many antimicrobial agents, continues to threaten U.S. public health. Researchers at bioMérieux Inc. conducted a retrospective analysis of blood cultures positive for C. auris and found an upsurge in detection of this pathogenic yeast between 2021 and 2023. The average detection rate of 0.014% before October 2022 (July 2020 to September 2022) rose to 0.057% after October 2022 (October 2022 to March 2023). They presented their findings at ASM Microbe 2023, the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.
The researchers investigated changes in C. auris infection rates geographically and over time, from 2021 to 2023, by using a proprietary blood culture identification panel (BIOFIRE BCID2) and a cloud-based surveillance network (BIOFIRE Syndromic Trends [TREND]). The blood culture identification panel tests for 43 targets, including C. auris. The surveillance network captures anonymized patient results, greater than 100,000 positive blood cultures, in near real-time.
C. auris poses a serious health risk. Approximately 50% of isolates resist both disinfection and multiple antibiotics. Thus, mortality rates are high when this organism becomes established in the bloodstream. First detected in the United States in 2016, the C. auris infection rate increased 95% by 2021. The BioMérieux researchers analyzed C. auris detection rates in a United States cohort from 2021 to 2023 and found a significant increase in C. auris bloodstream infections in 2023 compared with infections in previous years.
“The study results confirm that we must continue to emphasize public health interventions under the leadership of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in order to meet the continuing challenge posed by antimicrobial-resistant C. auris and protect community health,” said presenting author Tristan T. Timbook, Director of Health Economics Outcomes Research, Global Medical Affairs, for bioMérieux. “The near real-time surveillance provided by TREND and the BIOFIRE BCID2 panel represent important tools for monitoring trends in C. auris infection.”
The research scientists behind this study, supported by bioMérieux, included Brooklyn Noble, Ph.D.; Kristen L. Jurcic Smith, Ph.D., D(ABMM); Jay D. Jones; Ben W. Galvin; and Tristan T. Timbrook, PharmD, BCIDP.
###
ASM Microbe is the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, held June 15-19, 2023, in Houston, Texas.
The American Society for Microbiology is one of the largest professional societies dedicated to the life sciences and is composed of 30,000 scientists and health practitioners. ASM's mission is to promote and advance the microbial sciences.
ASM advances the microbial sciences through conferences, publications, certifications, educational opportunities and advocacy efforts. It enhances laboratory capacity around the globe through training and resources. It provides a network for scientists in academia, industry and clinical settings. Additionally, ASM promotes a deeper understanding of the microbial sciences to diverse audiences.
END
Drug-resistant Candida auris infection rates continue to rise
2023-06-17
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Treatment with enzyme inhibitor can help combat antimicrobial resistance
2023-06-17
Houston, TX – New research by investigators in Ghent, Belgium shows that intravenous treatment with MK-3402, a metallo-beta-lactamase inhibitor, can be an effective strategy in fighting antimicrobial resistance. The findings are presented at ASM Microbe 2023, the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.
Antimicrobial resistance is a major threat to public health. Some bacteria are resistant to treatment because they produce the enzyme metallo-beta-lactamase, which make a certain class ...
Better tests needed to identify Candida auris susceptibility
2023-06-17
Houston, TX – Matching an infection with Candida auris, a pathogenic yeast, to an effective antifungal is a critical clinical decision. That decision relies on susceptibility testing, but commercially available antifungal tests perform poorly for many treatments, researchers at Indiana University and Indiana University Health have found. The investigators, who tested the accuracy of 4 available tests for use with C. auris, present their findings at ASM Microbe 2023, the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.
C. ...
Transgender people seen in the ER much more likely than cisgender people to be admitted to hospital
2023-06-17
Transgender people who come to the emergency room for care tend to be sicker than cisgender people who are otherwise similar to them and are much more likely to be admitted to the hospital once they visit the ER, according to a study being presented Saturday at ENDO 2023, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Chicago, Ill.
“Our findings suggest that decreasing discrimination against transgender people in society and in health care, and improving the outpatient care they are able to access in the community, may keep them healthier and help them avoid visits to the ER,” said lead researcher Daphna Stroumsa, ...
Employees with obesity may have higher loss of work productivity than those with normal weight
2023-06-17
CHICAGO—People with obesity may have lower work productivity due to increased risk of illness, contributing to increased costs for employers, according to industry-supported research being presented Saturday at ENDO 2023, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting, in Chicago, Ill.
Obesity is a significant public health issue affecting approximately 42% of people in the United States. Employees with overweight or obesity are more likely to develop weight-related comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, cardiovascular ...
Gaps remain in identifying, treating obesity despite new treatment options
2023-06-17
CHICAGO—By being undiagnosed or untreated, a significant fraction of people with obesity or overweight are not getting the recommended care, despite an increase in new treatment options, according to research being presented on June 17 at ENDO 2023, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Chicago, Ill.
“The number of people with obesity is high and rising in the adult U.S. population. Obesity is a complex and expensive disease that has been implicated in many chronic conditions including high blood ...
Closed-loop insulin delivery systems may improve blood sugar control in children with type 1 diabetes
2023-06-17
CHICAGO—Closed-loop insulin delivery systems improve glucose control in children with type 1 diabetes without causing adverse effects, according to a study presented Saturday at ENDO 2023, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Chicago, Ill.
A closed-loop system consists of devices that use a continuous glucose monitor and insulin pump to automatically regulate blood sugar levels for people with diabetes. The system operates “closed-loop” because it continuously monitors and adjusts (starting and stopping) insulin delivery based on the person's ...
Study finds “robotic pill” can safely deliver injectable osteoporosis drug
2023-06-17
A proven and effective medication for osteoporosis, which is currently only available as an injection, can be administered orally using a novel “robotic pill,” according to a study presented Saturday at ENDO 2023, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Chicago, Ill.
“We believe this study provides the first clinical evidence of safe and successful delivery of the osteoporosis drug teriparatide through an oral robotic pill,” said Arvinder Dhalla, Ph.D., who leads Clinical Development at Rani Therapeutics, the San Jose, Calif.-based company that developed the technology and funded the study. “Data from this study are very encouraging ...
Wider search needed to improve outcomes for eosinophilic food allergy
2023-06-17
The good news: a monoclonal antibody treatment called benralizumab proved quite effective in a clinical trial at depleting the number of eosinophils found in the blood and digestive tract tissues of patients with eosinophilic gastritis.
The not-so-good news: eliminating eosinophils was not enough to stop the symptoms people feel with this uncommon and severe form of food allergy. Nor did the treatment affect key measures of gut tissue health and related gene expression patterns.
These paradigm-shifting Phase 2 clinical ...
University of Montana science unlocks secrets of high-elevation pregnancies
2023-06-17
MISSOULA – Pregnancy at high elevations often is associated with low birth weights and other complications. These challenges occur in a wide range of mammals, from deer mice to human beings.
Research conducted at the University of Montana revealed some of the genetic underpinnings that allow certain highland mouse populations to protect developing fetuses in higher areas. The work was published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
“Understanding how deer mice survive and thrive at high elevations not only informs our understanding of basic evolutionary processes, it may also one ...
ASU study: Jupiter’s moon Europa may have had a slow evolution
2023-06-16
Jupiter's moon, Europa, is slightly smaller than Earth’s Moon and is one of the most promising places to search for alien life.
Amid the Jovian system, Europa is of particular interest to scientists because of the strong evidence for nutrients, water and energy to potentially provide a habitable environment for some form of life beyond Earth. In addition, Europa is believed to be made up into four layers (from surface to center): an ice shell, salt water ocean, rocky mantle, and metallic core.
Like Earth, Europa’s ...