Candida auris in the UK: Introduction, dissemination, and control
Andrew M. Borman, Elizabeth M. Johnson
Abstract
Candida auris is an emerging yeast that has been reported as a cause of human infections in over 30 countries and 6 continents since its first description 10 years ago Capable of causing large nosocomial outbreaks, usually in high-dependency units Whole-genome sequence (WGS) analyses have revealed the existence of at least 4 phylogenetically separate clonal lineages of C. auris, each with firm associations with distinct geographic regions: clade I (Southern Asia), clade II (East Asia), clade III (South Africa), and clade IV (South America) WGS has revealed minimal diversity between isolates within each clade but vast sequence divergence between different clades, consistent with their almost simultaneous and very recent emergence as human colonizers/pathogens in multiple geographic areas Subsequent outbreaks reported in the United Kingdom, Central and Southern Europe, and North America have all been seeded by isolates that can be mapped genetically to 1 of these 4 clonal lineages Interestingly, a potential fifth clade was recently described from a case of otitis in Iran [14], although to date, this has not been responsible for any nosocomial outbreaks.