Deadly, fast-spreading fungal infection reaches Ohio hospital, nursing home patients

Candida auris, a drug-resistant fungal infection that spreads easily in hospitals and nursing homes, and can lead to death, is on the rise in Ohio.

Cases of Candida auris tripled from 2019 to 2021, and treatment-resistant cases also are rising, according to national surveillance data.

The Centers for Disease Control through the end of 2022 reported 79 cases in Ohio of Candida auris — also called C. auris. But since then, more recent data from the Ohio Department of Health shows a sharp increase, with 416 cases through mid-March.