microorganisms Review Candida auris: Epidemiology, Diagnosis, Pathogenesis, Antifungal Susceptibility, and Infection Control Measures to Combat the Spread of Infections in Healthcare Facilities Suhail Ahmad * and Wadha Alfouzan Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, P.O. Box 24923, Safat 13110, Kuwait;
[email protected] * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +965-2463-6503 Abstract: Candida auris, a recently recognized, often multidrug-resistant yeast, has become a sig- nificant fungal pathogen due to its ability to cause invasive infections and outbreaks in healthcare facilities which have been difficult to control and treat. The extraordinary abilities of C. auris to easily contaminate the environment around colonized patients and persist for long periods have recently re- sulted in major outbreaks in many countries. C. auris resists elimination by robust cleaning and other decontamination procedures, likely due to the formation of ‘dry’ biofilms. Susceptible hospitalized patients, particularly those with multiple comorbidities in intensive care settings, acquire C. auris rather easily from close contact with C. auris-infected patients, their environment, or the equipment used on colonized patients, often with fatal consequences. This review highlights the lessons learned from recent studies on the epidemiology, diagnosis, pathogenesis, susceptibility, and molecular basis of resistance to antifungal drugs and infection control measures to combat the spread of C. auris Citation: Ahmad, S.; Alfouzan, W. Candida auris: Epidemiology, infections in healthcare facilities. Particular emphasis is given to interventions aiming to prevent new Diagnosis, Pathogenesis, Antifungal infections in healthcare facilities, including the screening of susceptible patients for colonization; the Susceptibility, and Infection Control cleaning and decontamination of the environment, equipment, and colonized patients; and successful Measures to Combat the Spread of approaches to identify and treat infected patients, particularly during outbreaks.