Michigan sees rapid rise in drug-resistant fungus that causes 'severe illness'

Almost 200 Michigan patients have contracted a drug-resistant fungus that has national and local health officials worried about the threat to patients in hospitals and nursing homes.

The state health department said Monday about 199 unique patients in Michigan have contracted Candida auris, an emerging fungus that the CDC said "presents a serious global health threat" because it is difficult to identify with standard laboratory procedures, is resistant to anti-fungal drugs and causes outbreaks in hospitals and can lead to "severe illness."

Most of the cases are in Detroit and Wayne County, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Other areas with confirmed infections include Oakland, Ingham, Livingston and Washtenaw counties, according to state data.

The fungus, which is a type of yeast, is usually found in health care facilities and has led to severe illness and sometimes death in hospitalized patients. "In some patients, this yeast can enter the bloodstream and spread throughout the body, causing serious invasive infections" that are sometimes difficult to treat, according to the CDC.

Those most at risk include patients hospitalized for long periods, those who have received antibiotics or antifungal medicals or have line or tubes entering their bodies, according to health officials.

Michigan has had 87 cases so far this year after seeing 135 cases last year, said Lynn Sutfin, spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The fungus first emerged in the state in 2021 with three cases, she said. There were 2,377 cases nationwide in 2022.

The number of Michigan cases has increased in part because health officials started "to conduct contact tracing and screening for colonization" after the initial cases were identified, she said.

"The identification of a case often results in additional testing, which can identify more cases. However, identifying cases is a key part of disease control," Sutfin said.

The health department said it has taken actions to ensure hospitals and health care facilities can prevent infections as well as care for infected patients, including "communication between facilities when transferring patients," Sutfin said.

Michigan has had 224 cases through April 10; 199 patients have been infected, Sutfin said.

"One thing we want to clarify is that there are patients with C. auris colonization (organism detected, but not causing illness)," which is considered a screening case, and "C. auris infections (causing illness – clinical case)," she said, adding that some patients with an infection could have been counted as having two cases.