Scientists have discovered a new type of drug-resistant fungus. They have claimed that the fresh clade of Candida auris kills up to 60% of those it infects. It poses a "serious threat to global public health." Being a highly-transmissible fungal infection, it can cause serious illness particularly among vulnerable hospital patients.

In some cases, it will not cause any symptoms. However, some people will experience a fever or chills, low blood pressure, and a rash. According to Public Health England, it can also lead to bloodstream, wound, and ear infections.

The new discovery has been published in the The Lancet Microbe. It brings the total number of Candida auris clades known worldwide to six. It was detected in April 2023 after a patient at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) tested positive.

Dr Karrie Ko, co-first author of the study and consultant at SHG, said, "The emerging fungal pathogen Candida auris poses a serious threat to global public health due to its worldwide distribution, multi-drug resistance, high transmissibility, propensity to cause outbreaks, and high mortality. She further added, "The implications of this discovery extend far beyond the laboratory. Now that we have discovered the sixth Candida auris clade, there is a pressing need to improve surveillance capability or develop new methods to augment current surveillance strategies so that health care facilities can keep a close watch on its emergence and contain the spread once found."

Senior author Niranjan Nagarajan, associate professor at the Infectious Diseases Translational Research Program at the National University of Singapore, said, "Genomic surveillance is essential for understanding emerging pathogens. By integrating genomics, metagenomics, and collaborative efforts among researchers and clinicians, we can continually enhance our pandemic preparedness and response to public health threats."

Meanwhile, in 2022, the World Health Organization listed Candida auris as a "critical priority" for research and public health action. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also declared the fungus as "an urgent antimicrobial resistance threat" as it has become increasingly difficult to treat.

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