A deadly, ‘superbug’ fungus is spreading in NC — again. What’s Candida auris?
Healthcare facilities in North Carolina and more than a dozen other states are seeing an uptick in cases of a drug-resistant, “superbug” fungus that can be deadly.
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More than 3,100 cases of Candida auris have been reported in 23 states so far this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data, current as of Saturday, July 18, show 36 in North Carolina.
The U.S. saw its first case of Candida auris in 2016, the public health agency said. Cases have been rising steadily in the years since, and experts say suppressing its spread has proven difficult.
“It really threw doctors for a loop because it behaves so differently than other Candida,” Dr. Ilan Schwartz, associate professor of medicine at Duke University, told The Charlotte Observer in an interview.
“This species … tends to be more resistant to antifungals, so it’s a lot more challenging — not just from an infection control perspective, but also from a management (perspective).”
Here’s what you need to know:
Candida auris, classified as an “emerging infectious disease,” is a drug-resistant fungus mostly spread in health care settings, public health experts say.
It can lead to severe illness, especially in patients with chronic or underlying conditions.
The germ is usually passed from person to person, and can live on the skin, clothing and surfaces for weeks to months. It can also be spread via medical devices, such as breathing tubes, intravenous catheters and IVs.
Most healthy folks can fight the infection on their own without serious illness, according to Healthline. However, the fungus can prove deadly in medical facilities like hospitals and nursing homes.
A recent CDC study highlighting the fungus’ spread between 2022 and 2024 found that most infections occurred in adults 45 and older. Cases among men were also more common, data show.
Guilford County has had the most with 26 confirmed cases of Candida auris from January to March, according to preliminary data from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services’ disease data dashboard.
The tool, updated quarterly, shows the most recent case counts and incidence rates (per 100,000 residents) of “reportable infectious diseases” in the state. Mecklenburg and Wake counties both reported low rates of infection — 0.0 and 0.1, respectively.
On the other end, Perquimans County had an incidence rate of 7.4 per 100,000 residents, the highest in the state, recent data show.
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In 2025, North Carolina reported a total of 26 cases across 21 counties. Davidson County topped the list with three confirmed infections, according to the data.
“The public should definitely not panic — but should be concerned,” Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, a professor of medicine at the University of California San Francisco, told Healthline in a recent interview.
“The risk is not for everyday people in the community but rather concentrated in healthcare settings.”
People with Candida auris don’t always show symptoms, which is how it’s so easily spread, according to the CDC. If it enters the bloodstream, however, it can cause serious invasive infections linked “to high mortality.”
Schwartz also noted the risk of sepsis, a life-threatening reaction to an infection that can lead to organ dysfunction. Symptoms include:
Candida auris can also enter through surgical wounds, leading to inflammation and difficulty healing.
Patients who develop blood infections caused by the fungus can have “a 30-day mortality rate of somewhere between 30% and 40%,” Schwartz told The Observer. However, it’s important to note that most who become severely ill or die also have other underlying illnesses.
“Unlike with bacterial infections, we have far fewer options for fungal infections,” Schwartz said, adding that there are only three classes of antifungals available to treat severe Candida auris infections, and they don’t always work.
“When resistance develops to one of those three classes, that’s a big deal because we can rapidly run out of suitable options.”
To help stop the spread of Candida auris, the CDC advises healthcare providers to take the following precautions:
Portions of this story previously appeared in The Charlotte Observer.
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This story was originally published August 6, 2026 at 12:09 PM.
