Candida auris fungaemia outbreak in a tertiary care academic hospital and emergence of a pan-echinocandin resistant isolate, Greece, 2021 to 2023
Eurosurveillance·
- DOI
- 10.2807/1560-7917.es.2024.29.45.2400128
- PMID
- 39512169
- PMCID
- PMC11544718
- OpenAlex
- W4404190343
- Study type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC)
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
The findings highlight accelerated and sustained C. auris transmission in healthcare settings and the emergence of pan-echinocandin resistance during therapy. The authors emphasize the need for rigorous infection control and antifungal stewardship to prevent further spread and resistance development.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
This outbreak investigation examined the epidemiology, transmission dynamics, and antifungal resistance patterns of Candida auris bloodstream infections at a Greek tertiary care hospital from 2021 to 2023.
Study design
Outbreak investigation conducted over approximately 3 years at a single tertiary care academic hospital in Greece, with genetic clustering and antifungal susceptibility testing of C. auris isolates.
Population and setting
Patients with C. auris bloodstream infections at a Greek tertiary care academic hospital. The outbreak comprised 89 episodes occurring in five waves, each following peaks in colonization rates by 3-4 months.
Main findings
All isolates belonged to clade I and were genetically related. Eighty-four percent showed fluconazole resistance, while all remained susceptible to amphotericin B and echinocandins except for one pan-echinocandin-resistant isolate carrying an FKS1 S639F mutation, recovered from a patient receiving empiric anidulafungin. By 2023, C. auris accounted for 34% of candidaemia cases at this hospital.
Public-health relevance
The findings highlight accelerated and sustained C. auris transmission in healthcare settings and the emergence of pan-echinocandin resistance during therapy. The authors emphasize the need for rigorous infection control and antifungal stewardship to prevent further spread and resistance development.
Important limitations
This summary relies on the supplied single-article abstract and metadata. The full paper is required for decision-grade interpretation, including detailed infection control measures implemented, patient clinical characteristics, colonization screening protocols, and genomic epidemiology methods.
GIDS interpretation
The article was indexed with links to COVID-19 and SARS disease classifiers, reflecting mention of the pandemic timeline context in the abstract's opening sentence. The substantive focus is on C. auris outbreak epidemiology, antifungal resistance, and transmission dynamics in a Greek hospital setting from 2021 to 2023.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 13 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.