Excerpt from Fox45
A new super fungus is starting to spread across the United States.
It's called Candida Auris and health experts are calling it a "serious global health threat."
This fungus was discovered only ten years ago in Tokyo
In 2016, there were only 13 known cases in the US but now there are nearly 600 nationwide.
Most of those cases are in the Chicago and New york area and no cases have been found in Ohio.
However, doctors say that could change any day.
"I would expect as the way things spread, that someday that we might be dealing with this specific strain of candida," said Dr. Steven Burdette, a specialist in infectious disease at Wright State's Boonshoft School of Medicine.
He says we all have a little candida fungus on and in us, but the new strain - Candida Auris - is dangerous.
Once Candida Aurius enters your blood stream, it can spread rapidly and cause major problems.
"This one's a little different in that it can be spread person to person and causes a more serious type of infection versus the other one that just kinda hangs out on our body and does nothing."
According to the CDC, Candida Auris is concerning for three reasons.
It's hard to treat, it's hard to test for and it's hard on hospitals and other healthcare facilities because it's so hard get rid of.
"Candida can live for a while outside of the body. A lot of it depends on the environment, the temperature, moisture, and what not," Burdette said.
Most at risk are people who have weak immune systems, chronically ill and spend a lot of time in health care environments.
That makes nursing homes a prime breeding ground for C. Aurius and other supergerms, which is why Bethany Village in Kettering is keeping an eye on the spread of the fungus.
"It's something that we're aware of. It's not something we're on high alert about. We have a lot of interventions in place to prevent something and identify that," said Holly Artkamp, nurse manger for Bethany Village.
