By NewsDesk  @bactiman63

Brazilian media report on the first possible Candida auris case in a man hospitalized with COVID-19 in Bahia state.

Image/CDC

Earlier this week, the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) issued an alert about an ongoing investigation.

According to Anvisa’s warning, the fungus was identified in “a tip sample from a patient in an adult ICU in a hospital in the State of Bahia”. The sample was analyzed by the Central Public Health Laboratory and by the Laboratory of the Hospital das Clínicas, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo.

Anvisa states that the sample will still be submitted to “phenotypic analyzes (to check the profile of sensitivity and resistance)” and “genetic sequencing of the microorganism (gold standard)” until the official confirmation of the case.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says Candida auris is an emerging fungus that presents a serious global health threat. C. auris causes severe illness in hospitalized patients in several countries.

Patients can remain colonized with C. auris for a long time and C. auris can persist on surfaces in healthcare environments. This can result in spread of C. auris between patients in healthcare facilities.

The CDC also reports multiple cases of C. auris  from Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, China, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sudan, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Venezuela.

Single cases have been reported from 14 additional countries.

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