Candidozyma auris
The characteristics, diagnosis and management of Candidozyma auris (C. auris).
C. auris content is currently under review.
Candidozyma (formerly Candida) auris (C. auris) is a yeast species first isolated from the external ear canal of a patient in Japan in 2009. Since then C. auris has been associated with a wide range of clinical infections, including bloodstream, wound and ear infections, in many countries globally, including: India, Pakistan, Venezuela, Colombia, Spain. Israel, South Africa and the US.
Laboratory testing
Commonly C. auris is resistant to the first-line antifungal drug fluconazole and this species can rapidly evolve to develop resistance, so specific antifungal susceptibility testing is indicated.
In UK laboratories, Candida species isolated from superficial sites are not routinely identified to species level or tested for antifungal susceptibility. Even if species identification is undertaken, isolates can be misidentified by some commercial kits.
Therefore any presumptive isolates of C. auris should be subjected to further testing at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)’s network of public health laboratories or at UKHSA’s national Mycology Reference Laboratory.