Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Dec 31: The multidrug-resistant fungal species Candida auris is becoming more virulent and spreading worldwide, a new study led by Indian researchers has found. The fungus, known for its ability to persist on human skin, is responsible for invasive infections affecting around 6.5 million people annually, often with mortality rates exceeding 50%, even with antifungal treatment.

Researchers from the Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute, University of Delhi, in collaboration with the US National Institutes of Health, highlighted C. auris’s “wily cellular strategies,” including its ability to switch from yeast growth to filament-driven spread, form multicellular aggregates, and alter genetic expression in response to changing environments.

The fungus’s ability to colonise human skin long-term increases the risk of transmission within hospitals and makes patients vulnerable to serious systemic infections. Conventional diagnostics often misidentify C. auris, delaying treatment, the study noted.

The researchers stressed the urgent need for novel antifungal agents, improved diagnostic tests, and immune- or vaccine-based therapies for high-risk patients. They also called for enhanced awareness and surveillance, particularly in resource-limited countries, to combat the growing global threat of this deadly fungus.