Drug-Resistant Fungus Candida Auris Now Reported in 27 States — Here’s Who’s Actually at Risk
Federal surveillance data show more than 3,400 cases of the drug-resistant fungus Candida auris reported across at least 27 U.S. states so far in 2026, according to the CDC’s most recent figures — though officials and infectious disease experts are emphasizing that the risk to the general public remains low, with the fungus posing a threat almost exclusively to already critically ill hospital and nursing home patients.
What the Data Shows
As of the week ending July 25, 2026, the CDC had recorded 3,437 cases of Candida auris, commonly abbreviated C. auris, across the country, according to The Epoch Times. That figure represents a slightly lower pace than the same point in 2024, when 4,290 cases had been reported by comparison — a detail multiple outlets highlighted as a modest sign of improvement, even as the fungus’s geographic reach continues to expand.
Case counts vary significantly by state. According to Newsweek’s analysis of the CDC data, Texas has reported the most cases this year with 715, followed by Michigan with 518 and Illinois with 379. Other states with substantial case counts include Ohio (218), Maryland (184), Nevada (166), New Jersey (166), and Arizona (151). The CDC’s tracking identified 23 states with at least one confirmed screening case as of late July, according to Newsweek, though other outlets citing slightly different data windows put the total as high as 27 states.
Arizona’s numbers illustrate the broader trend playing out at the state level: the state recorded 171 cases year-to-date, up nearly 30% from the 133 cases reported during the same period in 2025, according to Arizona’s AZFamily.
Who Is Actually at Risk
Despite the concerning headline numbers, health officials have been consistent in describing the risk to most Americans as minimal. According to Medical Daily, nearly all confirmed infections occur in patients who are already seriously ill — people on ventilators, those with central venous lines or urinary catheters, and residents of long-term acute care hospitals and skilled nursing facilities.
Healthline’s coverage reinforced that distinction directly, noting that the CDC states people without healthcare-related risk factors generally do not become infected or colonized with the fungus. The risk is concentrated specifically among patients with invasive medical devices and prolonged stays in healthcare facilities — meaning this is fundamentally a story about infection control within hospitals and care facilities, not a broader public health threat comparable to something like a seasonal flu outbreak.
Why It’s So Difficult to Treat
What makes Candida auris a particular concern for healthcare facilities is its resistance to standard antifungal treatments. A CDC research paper published in 2026 found that more than 95% of 8,033 C. auris samples collected in 2022 and 2023 showed resistance to fluconazole, one of the most commonly used antifungal drugs, according to The Epoch Times. The same analysis found that 15% of samples were resistant to a second drug, amphotericin B, and 1% were resistant to echinocandins, a third class of antifungal medication. Fewer than 1% of samples showed resistance to all three drug classes simultaneously — meaning most infections, while difficult to treat, are not yet fully untreatable.
The fungus’s persistence outside the human body compounds the challenge. According to Medical Daily, C. auris can live on a patient’s skin without causing illness, and it can also survive on shared healthcare equipment and surfaces, including bed rails and blood pressure cuffs, creating ongoing transmission risk within facilities even when no single patient is symptomatic.
Why the CDC Considers It an “Urgent Threat”
The CDC has designated Candida auris an “urgent antimicrobial resistance threat” — one of the most serious classifications the agency uses for drug-resistant pathogens. Candida auris was first identified in Japan in 2009 and first reported in the United States in 2016, according to Healthline, meaning the current spread reflects less than a decade of the fungus’s presence in the country.
Historical trend data underscores how quickly the fungus has expanded its footprint. According to earlier CDC surveillance data cited in a 2025 analysis, confirmed clinical cases nationally jumped from just 52 in 2016 to more than 4,500 by 2023, with the fungus’s documented reach expanding to nearly 40 states over that period.
What Experts Recommend
Infectious disease specialists have focused their recommendations specifically on healthcare facility practices rather than general public precautions. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert quoted by Healthline, said medical facilities should invest in laboratory capabilities that can rapidly and accurately identify Candida auris, since older testing methods can sometimes misidentify the fungus as a different, less dangerous species — a diagnostic delay that can allow the infection to spread further within a facility before appropriate isolation and treatment protocols are put in place.
FAQ
How many Candida auris cases have been reported in 2026? More than 3,400 cases as of the week ending July 25, 2026, according to CDC surveillance data, spread across at least 23 to 27 states depending on the specific reporting window used.
Which states have the most cases? Texas leads with over 700 cases, followed by Michigan (roughly 500-520) and Illinois (roughly 370-380), with several other states reporting triple-digit case counts.
Am I at risk if I’m generally healthy? According to the CDC, people without healthcare-related risk factors — such as being on a ventilator, having a catheter or central line, or staying in a long-term care facility — generally do not become infected or colonized with the fungus.
Why is it so hard to treat? More than 95% of tested samples show resistance to fluconazole, a commonly used antifungal drug, and additional samples show resistance to other antifungal drug classes, though full resistance to all major antifungal treatments remains rare.
How does Candida auris spread? Primarily through contact with contaminated surfaces and medical equipment in healthcare settings, or through contact with colonized patients or the hands of healthcare workers who haven’t followed proper infection control procedures.
Conclusion
The continued spread of Candida auris across U.S. healthcare facilities reflects an ongoing, serious challenge for infection control — but not, based on current CDC guidance, an emerging threat to the general public. For most Americans, this remains a story about hospital and nursing home safety protocols rather than a personal health concern. For anyone with a family member in an ICU, on a ventilator, or in a long-term care facility, though, it’s a reasonable prompt to ask facilities directly about their infection control and rapid-testing practices for drug-resistant organisms like this one.
Sources: The Epoch Times, Medical Daily, Healthline, Newsweek, AZFamily, Gray Television/12 On Your Side, CDC (reporting dated August 4-7, 2026, based on CDC surveillance data through July 25, 2026).