According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fungi, often drug-resistant, have spread "at an alarming rate" through US healthcare facilities. Fungi cause a wide range of diseases in people, from irritating athletes' feet to life-threatening bloodstream infections. Despite this fungi's threat, there is currently no licensed vaccine to prevent fungal infections in the United States or abroad. So the ultimate goal is to develop a single vaccine that protects against all fungal infections, said Karen Norris, an immunologist and vaccine expert at the University of Georgia.

However, "pan fungal" vaccines are incredibly difficult to make. She said this is because, unlike Covid vaccines targeting a single pathogen, the SARS CoV 2 virus, fungal vaccines would ideally protect against a wide range of fungi, each biologically different from the next.

For now, Norris and her team have decided to focus on three fungi responsible for the majority of fatal fungal infections in the United States. One of them, Candida, Candida auris, is an emerging fungus that can be serious and fatal to hospitalized patients, especially those with multiple medical problems. The CDC said the fungus was first identified in Japan in 2009 and has since been found in more than 30 countries, including the United States.

Candida symptoms can vary greatly depending on the type of infection, but fever and chills are the most common. People with weakened immune systems, people with diabetes, people who take high doses of antibiotics, or people who use breathing tubes, feeding tubes, and catheters are more likely to be affected.

Also, the CDC said in its report, "This subtle increase is also of concern because echinocandin is the first line treatment for invasive Candida infections and most Cauris infections." CDC epidemiologist Dr. Megan Lyman emphasizes the need for faster diagnostic testing and adherence to proven infection prevention and control testing and adherence to proven infection prevention and control."

Reference: 
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/21/candida auris fungus resistant to drugs spreading rapidly cdc says.html?qsearchterm=fugus

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