Thirteen infected, 4 DEAD and more endangered in United States

'We're working hard with partners to better understand this fungus....'

Most people use yeast to make delicious breads and desserts but what has hit the United States is a different sort of yeast entirely.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - A yeast-based infectious fungus was first discovered in a Japanese patient complaining of an ear infection in 2009 in the U.S.

NBC reports the fungus has infected thirteen people and killed four over the summer and were found to be resistant to most anti-fungal drugs.

The CDC has asked doctors to keep an eye out for signs of the infection, which the Inquisitr says includes white patches on the tongue and other body parts, genital itching, burning sensations, difficulty swallowing and discharge with a cheese-like consistency.

CDC director Tom Frieden released a statement warning of the dangers Candida auris poses:

"We need to act now to better understand, contain and stop the spread of this drug-resistant fungus. This is an emerging threat, and we need to protect vulnerable patients and others."

No one knows where the fungus originated but it was similar to strains discovered in South Asia and South America, though neither of the thirteen patients had traveled to those locations.

The CDC believes they were infected while in the United States.

Tom Chiller, the CDC chief of Mycotic Diseases, stated: "It appears that C. auris arrived in the United States only in the past few years. We're working hard with partners to better understand this fungus and how it spreads so we can improve infection control recommendations and help protect people."

Each of the patients was already very ill when they contracted the fungus, which the CDC said can be found throughout the body and skin.

In the official report, the CDC team wrote: "Five patients had C. Auris initially isolated from blood, one from urine, and one from the external ear canal."

Frighteningly, swabs of the patient's hospital rooms found the fungus in the mattress, bedside table, bed rail, chair and windowsill, though bleach was able to kill it.

Dr. Frieden explained: "We need to act now to better understand, contain and stop the spread of this drug-resistant fungus. This is an emerging threat, and we need to protect vulnerable patients and others."

The fungus is a serious health concern but the CDC warns there is no way to diagnose cases without a series of medical tests.

It is too similar to other bugs - so similar many samples documented in the report were originally misidentified as other types of fungus and 71 percent were resistant to antibiotics.

---

The California Network is the Next Wave in delivery of information and entertainment on pop culture, social trends, lifestyle, entertainment, news, politics and economics. We are hyper-focused on one audience, YOU, the connected generation. JOIN US AS WE REDEFINE AND REVOLUTIONIZE THE EVER-CHANGING MEDIA LANDSCAPE.