In the last two years, Oklahoma has reported two cases of potentially deadly fungal infection that is resistant to antifungal drugs.
The medical director of Infection Prevention for Integris Health Dr. David Chansolme said, “Yeast can cause infection in a number of different body sites.”
A fungus called Candida auris can be very dangerous because it is has been resistant to all the three types of antifungal drugs that are often prescribed.
Dr. Chansolme said, “If they get a yeast infection, particularly in their bloodstream, it can be fatal.”
He added, “It’s not necessarily that the superbugs are more likely to cause disease; it’s just that, in certain patients, when they do cause disease, they are more difficult to get rid of because we have fewer weapons to fight them.”
The superbug was first identified in 2009 in Japan, while it has been more prevalent overseas with more than 600 cases documented in the United States.
Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released information that two Candida auris cases have been identified and treated in Oklahoma. The first case was treated at the OU Medical Center in 2017 and the second one in southeast Oklahoma in 2018. Health officials from the CDC and OU have confirmed that the cases were identified, quarantined, and treated.
“The work in Oklahoma was deemed successful because CDC did not find further evidence of transmission,” according to a statement released by officials in Atlanta.
Epidemiologist and Administrative Program Manager of the Oklahoma State Department of Health Laurence Burnsed said, “In both occurrences, there was no risk of further transmission to any other patients that were identified.”
The officials said they helped to identify the superbug and inform the findings to other health facilities. However, as far as releasing information on the superbug to the public is concerned, the officials have to worry about the patient’s privacy. “If it seems like a very limited to an isolated incident with an individual where exposure likely occurred from a prior exposure at another facility, another location, that’s where the communication with the general public might be limited,” said Burnsed. “We do try to strike a good balance with inform the public of specific risks when they are occurring but, at the same time, protecting the individuals’ confidentiality when they are involved in public health investigations.”
