Experts believe the next pandemic could be a deadly, yeast-like fungal infection known as Candida Auris, which experts describe as a nearly “perfect pathogen.”
According to the NY Post, the CDC said the fungus could be fatal if it enters the bloodstream, which would typically be through catheters or other tubes entering the body in healthcare settings.
Johanna Rhodes, an epidemiologist with London’s Imperial College said the fungus was originally identified in 2009 and is said to be almost impervious to antifungal drugs.
Rhodes, who worked against an outbreak of Candida Auris in England in 2016, said it’s not just the fungus’ resistance to drugs that make it impressive but the fact that it can linger on surfaces for long periods.
“One of the things that make Candida Auris so scary is the fact it can linger on inanimate surfaces for long periods and withstand whatever you throw at it,” Rhodes told New Scientist.
The CDC said no one knows where the fungus came from. “It is a creature from the black lagoon. It bubbled up and now it is everywhere,” Dr. Tom Chiller, head of the CDC’s anti-fungal division said.
