Case-Case Comparison of Candida auris Versus Other Candida Species Bloodstream Infections: Results of an Outbreak Investigation in Colombia.

BACKGROUND: Candida auris is an emerging multidrug-resistant yeast that causes outbreaks in healthcare settings around the world. In 2016, clinicians and public health officials identified patients with C. auris bloodstream infections (BSI) in Colombian healthcare facilities. To evaluate potential risk factors and outcomes for these infections, we investigated epidemiologic and clinical features of patients with C. auris and other Candida species BSI. METHODS: We performed a retrospective case-case investigation in four Colombian acute care hospitals, defining a case as Candida spp. isolated from blood culture during January 2015-September 2016. C. auris BSI cases were compared to other Candida species BSI cases. Odds ratio (OR), estimated using logistic regression, was used to assess the association between risk factors and outcomes. RESULTS: We analyzed 90 patients with BSI, including 40 with C. auris and 50 with other Candida species. All had been admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). No significant demographic differences existed between the two groups. The following variables were independently associated with C. auris BSI: ≥ 15 days of pre-infection ICU stay (OR: 5.62, CI: 2.04-15.5), evidence of severe sepsis (OR: 3.70, CI 1.19-11.48), and diabetes mellitus (OR 5.69, CI 1.01-31.9). CONCLUSION: Patients with C. auris BSI had longer lengths of ICU stay than those with other candidemias, suggesting that infections are acquired during hospitalization. This is different from other Candida infections, which are usually thought to result from autoinfection with host flora.

Hospital-Associated Multicenter Outbreak of Emerging Fungus Candida auris, Colombia, 2016.

Candida auris is an emerging multidrug-resistant fungus that causes hospital-associated outbreaks of invasive infections with high death rates. During 2015-2016, health authorities in Colombia detected an outbreak of C. auris. We conducted an investigation to characterize the epidemiology, transmission mechanisms, and reservoirs of this organism. We investigated 4 hospitals with confirmed cases of C. auris candidemia in 3 cities in Colombia. We abstracted medical records and collected swabs from contemporaneously hospitalized patients to assess for skin colonization. We identified 40 cases; median patient age was 23 years (IQR 4 months-56 years). Twelve (30%) patients were <1 year of age, and 24 (60%) were male. The 30-day mortality was 43%. Cases clustered in time and location; axilla and groin were the most commonly colonized sites. Temporal and spatial clustering of cases and skin colonization suggest person-to-person transmission of C. auris. These cases highlight the importance of adherence to infection control recommendations.