A NEW type of drug-resistant fungus has been discovered by scientists. They say the fresh clade of Candida auris , which kills up to 60 per cent of those it infects, poses a "serious threat to global public health". 4 A sixth type of Candida auris has been identified Credit: Getty 4 The fungus is similar to the one at the heart of The Last of Us, starring Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal Credit: Alamy It is a highly-transmissible fungal infection that can cause serious illness, particularly among vulnerable hospital patients.
In some cases it won't cause any symptoms, but some people experience a fever or chills, low blood pressure and a rash, and it can lead to bloodstream, wound and ear infections, according to Public Health England. Candida auris is similar to the zombie-ant fungus at the heart of post-apocalyptic drama The Last of Us - season two of which comes out in 2025. A trailer for the programme, which stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey , was released this week.
The new discovery, published in the The Lancet Microbe , brings the total number of Candida auris clades known worldwide to six. It was detected in April 2023 after a patient at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) tested positive. Researchers discovered they had a type that was genetically different to the existing five, then found two other unrelated patient cases.
They now hope to use machine learning to detect new clades early. Most read in Health BEACH PLUNGE Horror as woman falls screaming through trapdoor o.