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July, 28 2021

Candida Auris: Facts And Preparedness

Candida auris (C. auris) is often resistant to antifungal drugs used to treat Candida infections and can cause outbreaks in hospital settings that have resulted in mortality rates as high as 72%.

Candida auris PERSISTS ON SURFACES IN HEALTHCARE ENVIRONMENTS

C. auris can survive on a wide range of surfaces, both dry and moist, for up to 14 days.1 C. auris has been cultured from multiple critical surfaces in patient rooms, including (but not limited to)2:

HIGH TOUCH SURFACES

  • Beds & Bedrails
  • Tables & Seating
  • Floors
  • Remotes
  • Soap Dispensers

OUT-OF-REACH SURFACES

  • Air Ducts & Vents
  • Windows
  • Curtains & Dividers
  • Mounted Electronics
  • Lights and Switches

MEDICAL EQUIPMENT SURFACES

  • Glucometers
  • Blood Pressure Cuffs
  • EKG Machines
  • Defibrillators
  • Patient Monitors

Each case of candidemia results in an additional 3 to 13 days of hospitalization and costs between $6,000 and $29,000. In addition, the current pandemic may provide “ideal conditions” for outbreaks of C. auris in hospital ICUs. C. auris and SARS-CoV-2 have been found on hospital surfaces, including air conditioner ducts, windows, and hospital floors.

Patients and residents in healthcare facilities often remain colonized with C. auris for many months. Even after the acute infection has been treated and resolved. It can be shed into the environment and linger there for weeks, which makes infection control both an immediate and an ongoing issue.

STERAMIST IS YOUR COMPLETE DISINFECTION SOLUTION

CDC and EPA recommend healthcare facilities with C. auris cases use disinfectants on EPA’s List K (efficacy against C. difficile spores)2.

Designed to reach areas where C. auris and other pathogens may hide, the dry mist of SteraMist’s ionized Hydrogen Peroxide (iHP™) provides a quick, high-log kill to help stop outbreaks and prevent them before they occur.

EPA List K: EPA Reg. 90150-2 Binary Ionization Technology (BIT) Solution 

1Dyer, T. COVID Unleases the ‘Lurking Scourge’ Candida auris. IC Today. 2020. Vol. 24, Issue 10. https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/covid-unleashes-the-lurking-scourge-candida-auris. 2Sexton, D. J. et al. Evaluation of nine surface disinfectants against Candida auris using a qualitative disk carrier method: EPA SOP-MB-35. Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology; 2020, 41, 1219-2221.