| Web: | mayocliniclabs.com |
|---|---|
| Email: | mcl@mayo.edu |
| Telephone: | 800-533-1710 |
| International: | +1 855-379-3115 |
| Values are valid only on day of printing | |
| Web: | mayocliniclabs.com |
|---|---|
| Email: | mcl@mayo.edu |
| Telephone: | 800-533-1710 |
| International: | +1 855-379-3115 |
| Values are valid only on day of printing | |
Candida auris (also known as C. auris) can cause serious, and sometimes fatal, infections and is often resistant to one or more classes of antifungal drugs. In addition, C. auris appears to be more resistant to disinfection than other yeasts, leading to prolonged survival in the environment and increasing the possibility of transmission in hospitals and nursing homes. To ensure appropriate treatment, early and accurate detection with surveillance and diagnostic testing is necessary.
Our C. auris polymerase chain reaction assay (Mayo ID: CAURS) detects and identifies C. auris from surveillance swabs.
Candida auris Test menu
In December 2018, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that healthcare facilities implement routine surveillance screening of patients who have had an overnight stay in a healthcare facility outside of the U.S. over the past year, particularly if the hospitalization was in a country with confirmed cases of C. auris.
The CDC also recommended considering screening patients who have been hospitalized outside of the U.S. and have a documented infection or colonization with a carbapenemase-producing gram-negative bacteria. These patients have frequently been found to have C. auris colonization as well. A second group of people for whom screening is recommended includes healthcare workers who have been in close contact with patients who have previously unrecognized C. auris infection or colonization.
Key testing
Highlights
A specific type of fungal species, Candida auris, is raising concern in health care facilities around the world. First discovered in Japan in 2009, Candida auris is responsible for an increasing number of serious and often fatal fungal infections. Nancy Wengenack, Ph.D., director of the Mycology and Mycobacteriology Laboratories at Mayo Clinic Laboratories, explains why these infections are difficult to treat.
In this episode of “Answers From the Lab,” host Bobbi Pritt, M.D., chair of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic, and Nancy Wengenack, Ph.D., director of the Mycology and Mycobacteriology Laboratories at Mayo Clinic, discuss the increased focus on fungi and why emerging fungal infections can be concerning for health care facilities.
Nancy Wengenack, Ph.D., director of the Mycology and Microbacteriology Laboratories in Mayo Clinic’s Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, joins the "Answers From the Lab" podcast this week. In this episode, Dr. Wengenack and Bobbi Pritt, M.D., discuss the fungal infection Candida auris.