Candida auris and COVID-19: A health threatening combination

Shaghayegh Khojasteh; Jalal Jafarzdeh; Seyed Abdollah Hosseini; Iman Haghani; Habibollah Turki; Sanaz Aghaei Gharehbolagh; Mahdi Abastabar; Shahram Mahmoudi

doi:10.18502/cmm.8.3.11211

Shaghayegh Khojasteh Department of Medical Mycology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Jalal Jafarzdeh Department of Medical Mycology and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
Seyed Abdollah Hosseini Toxoplasmosis Research Center, Department of Parasitology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Iman Haghani Department of Medical Mycology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Habibollah Turki Molecular Medecine Research Center, Hormozgan Health Institute, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
Sanaz Aghaei Gharehbolagh Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mahdi Abastabar Department of Medical Mycology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Shahram Mahmoudi Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/cmm.8.3.11211

Keywords: Antifungal resistance, Candida auris, Co-infection, COVID-19, SARSCoV-2

Abstract

Since its first emergence in December 2019, due to its fast distribution throughout the world, SARS-COV-2 become a global concern. With the extremely increased number of hospitalized patients, this situation provided a potential basis for the transmission of nosocomial infections. Candida auris is a multidrug-resistant pathogen with improved transmission dynamics and resistance traits. During the worldwide spread of COVID-19, cases or outbreaks of C. auris colonization or infection have been reported. Resistance to antifungal drugs has been observed in the causative agents of the majority of such cases. The focus in this review is on COVID-19-associated C. auris infections (case studies/outbreaks) and the pandemic's potential effect on antifungal drug resistance.