WE’RE not even through this pandemic, but scientists at the CDC are warning the next one is likely to come from a yeast-like fungus that closely resembles that of the Black Plague.
Candida Auris is the “perfect pathogen,” scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, theorizing that the yeast-like fungal infection could be the cause of the next pandemic.
Should the fungus enter the bloodstream, it will almost certainly become fatal, the CDC wrote. Doubly so if it enters through catheters or other tubes entering the body in healthcare settings.
First identified in 2009, Candida Auris is almost impervious to antifungal drugs, London’s Imperial College epidemiologist Johanna Rhodes said.
“One of the things that makes Candida auris so scary is the fact it can linger on inanimate surfaces for long periods and withstand whatever you throw at it,” Rhodes said.
Rhodes helped tackle an outbreak of the fungus in England in 2016 and added its resistance to drugs make it a potential candidate for the next pandemic.
It wasn’t compared to the Black Plague until a doctor with the CDC’s anti-fungal division said it mirrored that of substances found in lagoons and other bacteria-ridden areas.
“It is a creature from the black lagoon. It bubbled up and now it is everywhere,” said the CDC’s Dr. Tom Chiller.
Scientists across the world have warned in light of the coronavirus pandemic, it’s about time disease centers and specialists begin developing and investing more in preventing and treating infectious pathogens.
