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Candida auris (C. auris) spreads in healthcare facilities mainly through contact with colonized or infected patients, contaminated hands or clothing, and contaminated room surfaces or equipment. Preventing transmission means using the right precautions, cleaning hands and shared items, disinfecting with a product labeled effective against C. auris, and identifying and communicating cases—including patients who have no symptoms.

How does C. auris spread in hospitals?

A patient carrying C. auris can contaminate nearby surfaces and objects. Another patient may then be exposed through contact with those items, through healthcare personnel whose hands or clothing have become contaminated, or through shared equipment that was not properly cleaned and disinfected between uses. CDC identifies bedrails, bedside tables, and mobile medical equipment such as glucometers and ultrasound machines among possible links in this chain. CDC infection-control guidance explains these transmission routes.

Transmission link Examples Why it matters
Patient to surroundings Bedrails, bedside tables, and other frequently touched room surfaces Contaminated surfaces can expose patients or staff who touch them.
Shared or mobile equipment Glucometers, ultrasound machines, and other equipment used for more than one patient Equipment can connect patients if it is not cleaned and disinfected between uses.
Personnel contact Hands or clothing after contact with a patient or contaminated surroundings Personnel can carry the organism between contact points unless precautions and hand hygiene interrupt the route.

C. auris can persist on patients and surfaces for long periods, though the duration is not one fixed number for every surface or condition. That persistence makes reliable cleaning and disinfection important, rather than relying on a room’s appearance or on time alone.

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Can someone spread C. auris without symptoms?

Yes. Colonization means C. auris is present on the skin or another body site without causing symptoms of active infection. A colonized person can spread it in the same ways as someone with an infection, so a patient appearing well does not rule out transmission risk. CDC’s clinical overview distinguishes colonization from infection; its prevention guidance addresses precautions and cleaning.

What precautions should hospitals use?

Use setting-appropriate precautions and placement

CDC recommends Contact Precautions for patients with C. auris in acute-care and long-term acute-care hospitals. Use a single-patient room whenever possible. When single rooms are limited, prioritize patients more likely to transmit the organism, such as those with uncontained secretions or excretions, diarrhea, or draining wounds. Avoid frequent room moves that can expand the number of exposed people and spaces.

Cohorting or creating a dedicated care area may be useful in selected circumstances, but it is not automatically safer: patient movement and cleaning gaps can create additional opportunities for spread. Nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities should follow the situation-specific choice of Contact Precautions or Enhanced Barrier Precautions and applicable local or state public-health recommendations. See CDC’s setting-specific prevention guidance.

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Make hand hygiene and PPE part of every contact routine

  • Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer when hands are not visibly soiled; use soap and water when they are visibly soiled. CDC states that alcohol-based hand sanitizer is preferred for C. auris.
  • Wear gowns and gloves as required by the applicable precautions and anticipated contact. Remove PPE carefully and clean hands when leaving the room.
  • Do not treat gloves as a substitute for hand hygiene. Change gloves as needed between tasks and patients, and clean hands at the required points in care.
  • Train environmental-services staff and other personnel who enter patient-care areas, not only clinicians providing direct care.

These practices are described in CDC’s infection-control guidance.

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How should rooms and equipment be cleaned?

Choose a disinfectant with a specific C. auris claim

CDC recommends an EPA-registered hospital-grade disinfectant effective against C. auris. Check EPA List P and the label on the product actually being used. A generic “fungicidal” claim or a claim against Candida albicans alone does not establish effectiveness against C. auris; products relying solely on quaternary ammonium compounds are not effective for this purpose, according to CDC.

Follow the label’s directions for the intended surface and use site, including the required contact time—the period the surface must remain wet. EPA’s List P includes CaviWipes 1 (EPA registration 46781-13) with a listed one-minute contact time. This is an example, not a universal product recommendation: confirm the current registration and label, that the specific product and use fit the facility, and any local procurement requirements. EPA notes that distributor products can share a base registration number, so check the actual product label as well as the registry.

Clean routinely and between patients

Clean and disinfect the patient’s room thoroughly at least daily and when the patient is discharged or relocated. Give particular attention to frequently touched surfaces and to shared equipment; clean and disinfect equipment between patients according to its instructions and the disinfectant label. CDC’s infection-control guidance covers environmental cleaning and disinfection.

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Germicidal ultraviolet devices and vaporized hydrogen peroxide may be used only as supplements to standard cleaning and disinfection. CDC says evidence for these no-touch methods is limited and effective parameters are not well understood, so they should not replace manual cleaning and an appropriate disinfectant.

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How do screening and communication help prevent missed transmission?

Screening can find patients or residents who are colonized but do not have symptoms, allowing the facility to apply appropriate precautions and select effective disinfectants. CDC recommends deciding the scope and frequency of screening in light of local epidemiology and burden, exposure links, patient risk factors, facility characteristics, and the purpose of testing. A broad point-prevalence survey may be preferable in some situations because narrowly targeted screening can miss colonized people. CDC’s recommended colonization-screening sample is a composite swab of both armpits and the groin. See the CDC screening recommendations.

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When a case is confirmed, facilities should report it promptly to the public health department, follow infection-control recommendations, and consult public health about screening. Tell the receiving facility about the patient’s C. auris status during transfer so that precautions and cleaning can be planned without relying on symptoms alone. Screening should support infection control, not delay or deny a transfer. CDC outlines these steps in its response guidance.

What the evidence does—and does not—establish

CDC guidance supports using these measures together to interrupt different links in healthcare-associated transmission. The reviewed guidance does not establish a head-to-head efficacy ranking of all interventions, so no single measure should be presented as a proven substitute for the others. For national case trends, CDC’s July 2, 2026 surveillance report covers reported U.S. cases from 2022–2024 and says cases increased; the report’s tables should be consulted for specific figures.

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