A new superbug emerging in Indian hospitals calls for immediate action

A new multidrug resistant fungal superbug identified in several hospitals worldwide including India is giving doctors sleepless nights. Named Candida auris, it is resistant to most available antifungals. This superbug is fatal if untreated and infects intensive care patients with prolonged hospital stays.

In a short span of 7 years, this superbug has emerged as a cause of hospital-acquired multidrug resistant infection in many countries including India, Pakistan, Japan, Korea, Spain, UK, South Africa, Venezuela, Columbia, and the USA. This superbug demands immediate action from the medical community and Indian authorities.

According to Dr. Anuradha Chowdhary (picture above), Professor at the Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute in New Delhi, the problem is exacerbated by the fact that more than 90% of the patient samples are misidentified by most commercial laboratory equipment. As a result, patients miss getting specific drugs. Also since this fungus can persist around bed areas, mattress, chair, and windowsill for more than 3 months, it is seen as a serious concern in large bedded hospitals where rigorous cleaning and strict infection control practices are not a priority. While there are many antibacterials available, there are only three categories of antifungals used, of which this superbug is resistant to azoles, and has limited susceptibility to amphotericin B and echinocandins, which are expensive.

Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Public Health England, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Europe, and the centers for disease control, USA have issued health alerts for strict vigilance of C. auris cases. Consultant microbiologists Anuradha Chowdhary, Cheshta Sharma, and Jacques F Meis recommend implementing control measures such as isolation of patients and their contacts, wearing of personal protective clothing by healthcare workers, screening of patients on affected wards, skin decontamination with chlorhexidine, environmental cleaning with chlorine-based reagents, and terminal room decontamination with hydrogen peroxide vapor or UV light as preventive measures to stop the superbug from spreading.

The study is a collaborative effort of Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute, University of Delhi in New Delhi and Canisius-Wilhelmina Hospital, Nijmegen in the Netherlands. It was published in the journal PLOS Pathogens.

Reference: PLOS Pathogens 13(5): e1006290.

This was published by FirstPost, OutlookIndia, Amar Ujala NewsPaper in Hindi (clip below), BioVoice, and India Science Wire.