A drug-resistant variety of a common fungus is now a 'global health threat', a group of scientists has claimed. Candida auris (C. Auris) is a type of yeast that can cause severe illness and spread easily among sick patients in healthcare facilities.

It can vary from a mild skin infection, to more severe, life-threatening issues such as bloodstream infections. Worryingly, it is often resistant to antifungal medications, meaning the fungus develops the ability to defeat the drugs designed to kill it.

That means that it is sometimes impossible for doctors to treat. Nearly 6.5 million people worldwide are affected by fungal infections each year. The difficulty in treating them can result in a mortality rate of greater than 50 per cent.

C. Auris is particularly dangerous for people with weakened immune systems. First discovered in 2009 in the ear canal of a patient in Japan, it has since been unearthed across the world and was declared a public health threat in India in 2014.

C. Auris can cause infection in different parts of the body like the blood, wounds, and ears. Symptoms depend on the location and severity of infection. Symptoms may be similar to symptoms of infections caused by bacteria like fever or chills, but there is not a common set of symptoms specific for C. auris infections.

"Candida auris (Candidozyma auris) is an emerging human fungal pathogen causing disseminated infections of high mortality (30–72%) in individuals with underlying diseases or impaired immunity," the study reads.

"The pronounced skin tropism and pan-antifungal resistance of Candida auris pose a serious global health threat. A key question in C. auris biology is how clinical isolates acquire amphotericin B resistance."

Patients can have C. auris on their skin and other body area without having symptoms. Healthcare providers refer to this as 'colonization.' People who are colonized can spread C. auris onto to surfaces and objects around them and to other patients.

The study notes that the fungus is rapidly becoming resistant to drugs due to its ability to switch from a yeast-like growth form to a filament-driven spread. It also has cell wall proteins that enable it to stick to human skin “like glue” and colonise it.

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The fungus is equipped with “efflux pumps” on its cell membrane that can remove antifungal drugs before they can kill it. It also sticks together to form slimy biofilm layers on surfaces making it hard for drugs to penetrate.

Rohini Manuel, consultant medical microbiologist at UKHSA said: “C. auris rarely causes infections in healthy people although it can pose a risk to people in healthcare settings with weakened immune systems. Rates of C. auris in hospitals in England are very low, however they have been rising in recent years.

“UKHSA is working with the NHS to investigate the reasons behind this. Factors may include a rise in the fungus globally. Hospital outbreaks in this country are rare but we are supporting a small number of Trusts to limit the spread of C. auris.”