Nevada Superbug Threat Remains Dangerous

Cases of a potentially lethal fungus have stabilized in Nevada, according‍ to public​ health officials, who urge continued vigilance against the drug-resistant “superbug.”

Nevada’s frist case of Candida auris was detected in Las Vegas in August 2021. By‌ 2022, Southern Nevada was experiencing ⁣the largest outbreaks in the‌ country. Case‌ numbers peaked in⁤ 2024, then dipped slightly last ⁣year,​ preliminary state data⁤ shows.

“Why I strike ⁢a more optimistic tone is we have the actual proof‌ that our health care interventions​ work,” ⁢said David Hess, a genomic ⁣scientist at the Nevada State Public health Laboratory at University of Nevada, Reno’s School of Medicine. he noted ​that he was expressing his own views and not speaking on behalf of the lab, which tracks drug-resistant strains.

Candida auris,⁣ a strain of yeast, was first identified in Japan in 2009⁢ and in the U.S. in 2016. In spring of 2023, the Centers for Disease⁢ Control and Prevention issued ​a warning stating that cases were spreading in the ⁤U.S. at an “alarming rate.”

“We’re still concerned about it here at the CDC, and I ⁤think it’s definitely still one of our⁣ priorities,” Dr. Meghan Lyman said last week.

Lyman is the acting deputy ‌chief of the ⁢mycotic disease branch of the national public health organization. Mycotic disease is an illness caused by fungi.

The fungus continues to spread ⁤to new⁢ communities, with case numbers climbing across the country.Though, the rate of increase has ‍slowed, “suggesting ⁤that some of what we’re doing is ‌realy helping,” Lyman said in an interview with the Las​ Vegas Review-Journal.

She cautioned that Candida auris is something that “health care facilities still nee

This adaptability has allowed it‌ to develop resistance⁤ to ⁣the drugs used to treat it.In a small percentage of cases, echinocandins-the preferred treatment with fewer side effects-do not work.

Perlin and other authorities said the‍ percentage of cases resisting treatment is not increasing, which is good news.

“That’s not to say ‍that after prolonged‌ exposure that you could not develop resistance to all known antifungal agents,⁣ and we’ve seen those, quote, ‘superbugs,'” Perlin​ said. However, highly drug-resistant Candida auris is “not running‌ rampant ⁢across the country.”

Lyman said that while⁤ resistance to echinocandins remains low,⁢ the number of drug-resistant cases is ⁤increasing along with overall cases.

“These are even more difficult to treat and have fewer options,so that just ⁢raises the stakes a little more ‍and has us more concerned,” she said. “So I’d say that’s our biggest concern.”

She said ther are promising drugs under study for the treatment of C. auris.‌ However,because they are not yet approved,they are available only through expanded access programs or emergency exemptions.

In 2023, Nevada had among the highest number of cases in the U.S., according⁤ to CDC data, with Nevada, California and Florida each reporting approximately 600 clinical cases.⁢ Lyman said her branch ‌of the CDC is finalizing its data for 2024.

In‍ 2024, the Nevada Division of Behavioral and Public Health reported 692 ​clinical ​cases⁣ and 1,772 colonization cases-2,464 total cases-according to data obtained from the division.

In 2025, it reported 628 clinical cases and 1,639 ‌colonization cases-2,267 total cases, including⁣ a preliminary count‌ for⁣ December. Cases remain almost exclusively in the southern part of the state.

In ⁣late December, the CDC’s⁤ Centre for Surveillance, Epidemiology and Laboratory Services posted ​data ⁢showing Nevada with the highest number of clinical cases‌ for the U.S. in both 2024 and 2025, citing reporting by states. Though, the surveillance center’s figures for Nevada are three times higher​ for 2024, and 2 times ⁢higher for 2025, than‍ the state’s own data.

The ‍Nevada Division of Public​ and Behavioral Health, which ⁤said its lo

Candida auris​ Cases Rise, Prompting Renewed Infection Control Efforts

U.S. health officials are reporting a concerning increase in Candida auris (C. auris) cases, a drug-resistant fungus that poses a serious⁢ threat to ‍hospital patients. The Centers ‍for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a meaningful jump in clinical cases in 2022 and 2023, signaling a resurgence of the⁣ potentially deadly infection.

C. auris often‍ spreads in healthcare facilities and can cause severe illness, notably in individuals with weakened immune systems. It’s ⁣notoriously difficult to identify,as it doesn’t⁤ always register on standard​ lab tests. And, crucially, it’s resistant to many ⁤antifungal medications.

The CDC is working with state and local health departments to enhance ‍surveillance and improve infection control practices. This includes providing training to healthcare facilities on ⁤proper screening protocols and environmental cleaning procedures.

“We want to make sure we are providing adequate training, adequate subject matter expertise,​ to all these facilities,” said Dr. Scott Hess, a medical officer with the CDC’s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion. “With the goal ⁤of decreasing C. auris infections.”

experts emphasize​ that vigilance is key. While understanding of the fungus has improved, it remains a⁤ significant ⁣danger.

“It’s still ​dangerous,” Hess said. “We just understand it better.”

More ⁤facts is available from the CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/candidaurise/index.html