(WWJ) Michigan's first case of a rare, highly-contagious, drug-resistant and often deadly fungal infection has been identified in a metro Detroit resident.
Candida auris, a potent form of a yeast infection, was discovered May 27 in drainage from the ear of a 79-year-old man who had a history of chronic ear infections, according to Oakland County Health Division Dr. Russell Faust.
Officials said the man lives in Oakland County, but have not disclosed his name, city of residence or other details.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, candida auris, or C. auris, kills 1 in 3 people once it gets into the bloodstream.
Speaking to WWJ's Michael Cohen on Thursday, Faust said the Oakland County man is being treated and is expected to recover.
Foust said just how the man became infected is difficult to determine.
"The fact is he probably picked it up in the environment someplace," Faust said.
"We've all seen guys that, you know, will scratch their external auditory canal; they'll scratch their ear with a key. You know, for all we know he dropped his keys on the floor of the garage, picked them up, didn't think about it, had them in his pocket and then scratched his ear with them later on. Something as simple as that can give you an infection like this."
Faust said those at highest risk for death from this fungal infection are people with chronic aliments who have a tracheotomy, gastrostomy, long-term IVs or catheters. Others at high risk are people on ventilators, and anyone who is elderly and has been on multiple antibiotics or antifungals, especially those hospitalized for an extended period, or living at long-term care facilities.
C. auris can spread in healthcare settings through contact with contaminated environmental surfaces or equipment, according to the CDC, or from person to person.
Treating an infection C. auris can be complicated, Foust explained, as it's been found to be multidrug-resistant.
"So our usual go-to, our standard antifungals that people use for other yeast infections tend to not work very well," he said.
The CDC, which has been keeping an eye on cases across the nation, notes that C. auris can be difficult to identify with standard laboratory methods, and it can be misidentified in labs without specific technology. This can then lead to inappropriate management.
Another concern, the CDC said, is recent outbreaks in healthcare settings. For this reason, it is important to quickly identify C. auris in a hospitalized patient so that healthcare facilities can take special precautions to stop its spread.
C. auris was first identified in 2009 in Japan, with the first U.S. cases confirmed in 2016. [View a map of cases in the U.S. HERE]
Anyone who believes they have any this, or any fungal infection infection should call their doctor.
For more information about C. auris from the CDC, visit this link.