Quick wins for a faster PC:
Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more
Some isolates of Candida auris have been found resistant to three major antifungal drug classes. In a report published January 10, 2020, the CDC described three chronically ill patients in New York whose isolates became resistant to all three after treatment. That is a serious but specific finding—not proof that every C. auris strain, or the fungus as a whole, resists every antifungal. The report documents three patients, not two separate events, so the title’s “twice” is not confirmed by this evidence.
What “resistant to every major antifungal” means
The CDC report used “pan-resistant” for isolates resistant to one drug in each of three major classes: triazoles, polyenes, and echinocandins. Triazoles include fluconazole; amphotericin B is a polyene. The report’s definition does not mean resistance to every antifungal drug that exists. It was based on laboratory testing using CDC tentative minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) breakpoints and confirmatory testing. CDC MMWR, January 10, 2020.
The finding applies to particular tested isolates of C. auris, not automatically to every isolate or patient. Susceptibility is determined in the laboratory for an isolate; it is not a blanket property that can safely be inferred for an entire species.
What happened in the New York cases
The CDC summarized three chronically ill New York patients whose isolates were found resistant to all three drug classes after antifungal treatment. The isolates from all three patients had initially been susceptible to echinocandins, with resistance detected after treatment. This documents a worrying change in these cases, but it does not show that resistance always develops during treatment or establish how often it happens.
#1 Best Overall
In the historical New York surveillance reported by the CDC, 801 people had C. auris identified through clinical cultures or colonization screening by June 28, 2019; three were found to have pan-resistant isolates. Those figures describe that place and period, not current national prevalence. The CDC also reported that pan-resistant isolates remained rare in New York three years after the organism was first identified there. CDC MMWR report.
Resistance was not uniform across the reported samples
The report’s local susceptibility results illustrate why the drug class and sample type matter. Among 277 first available clinical isolates with susceptibility results, 276 (99.6%) were fluconazole-resistant. Among 331 subsequent available isolates from infected patients with susceptibility results, 13 (3.9%) were echinocandin-resistant. These are historical New York data reported by the CDC in 2020, not current national estimates; the denominators also refer to different groups of isolates and should not be treated as a direct comparison of the same samples. CDC MMWR, January 10, 2020.
Resistance also varies among lineages. A 2019 review reported that isolates in clades I, III, and IV had been observed with resistance to all three major classes, while the cited data showed differences in resistance levels among clades and less resistance appearing in clade II. That is evidence of variation among lineages and isolates—not a claim that every strain in a clade has the same susceptibility. Welsh et al., Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 2019.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
What the transmission investigation did—and did not—find
Investigators found no pan-resistant isolates among the contacts and facility environments they examined in connection with these cases. That bounded result does not show that C. auris cannot spread. The organism is associated with healthcare settings and can persist on patients’ skin and in the environment, and it has been linked to invasive infections. A 2024 review describes these broader features alongside acquired antifungal resistance. 2024 review, “The many faces of Candida auris”.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why “twice” is not established by this report
The CDC report most directly matching the claim describes three patients with pan-resistant isolates. It does not identify two discrete episodes or say that the fungus became resistant “twice.” The count of three patients should not be rewritten as two events: patients, isolates, treatment courses, and outbreak episodes are different measures.
The accurate takeaway is narrower: rare C. auris isolates have been documented as resistant to the three major antifungal classes, and in the CDC’s New York cases resistance was detected after treatment. The report does not establish a universal progression, an overall rate at which this occurs, or that all infections are untreatable.
Quick Recap
What readers should take from the finding
- Candida auris is a healthcare-associated yeast that can cause serious infections, but the resistance finding concerns specific isolates.
- In the CDC report, “pan-resistant” meant resistance to triazoles, polyenes, and echinocandins—not literally every antifungal medicine.
- The three New York patients’ isolates became pan-resistant after treatment; the report does not verify the headline’s “twice.”
- Historical surveillance figures from New York should not be mistaken for current prevalence in the United States or elsewhere.
- The report is not a current treatment guide. Treatment decisions require clinical and laboratory assessment by healthcare professionals.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
