CDC Report: Candida auris Outbreak in a COVID-19 Specialty Care Unit — Florida, July–August 2020

Candida auris Outbreak in a COVID-19 ... In July 2020, the Florida Department of Health was alerted to three Candida auris bloodstream infections and one urinary tract infection in four patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ... CDCMMWR Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

In July 2020, the Florida Department of Health was alerted to three Candida auris bloodstream infections and one urinary tract infection in four patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who received care in the same dedicated COVID-19 unit of an acute care hospital (hospital A). C. auris is a multidrug-resistant yeast that can cause invasive infection. Its ability to colonize patients asymptomatically and persist on surfaces has contributed to previous C. auris outbreaks in health care settings (1–7).

Since the first C. auris case was identified in Florida in 2017, aggressive measures have been implemented to limit spread, including contact tracing and screening upon detection of a new case. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, hospital A conducted admission screening for C. auris and admitted colonized patients to a separate dedicated ward.

Screening cultures of patients at multiple sites (e.g., axilla, groin,
rectum) in nosocomial outbreak settings commonly find asymptomatic
colonization, as was found in 52% of patients admitted to the COVID-19
unit in the hospital outbreak described above.

Colonized or infected patients frequently have prior extensive contact with multiple
healthcare facilities, highlighting the value of careful and thorough
communication at transfer. Investigations of the causes of hospital
outbreaks frequently find infection control lapses, undoubtedly
compounded by the care required for critically ill COVID-19 patients,
as found in the COVID-19 unit outbreak described above. ...