A recent study out of New York has demonstrated an association among ventilator use, acute care hospital admission, and colonization with Candida auris. Colonization increases the risk for severe infection and the likelihood of transmission to other patients.

These findings are particularly relevant in 2020 as the SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to drive a global pandemic. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 20% of COVID-19 patients in the United States require hospitalization and many of those patients undergo mechanical ventilation. After patients are discharged from the hospital, some are transferred to skilled nursing facilities for further recovery, another known location for C. auris spread. It is important that physicians recognize these risk factors and identify colonized patients from vulnerable populations in order to conduct targeted screenings for infection and implement infection control measures.