Candida auris is a fungal pathogen that can cause life-threatening bloodstream infections, wound infections, and ear infections, often among patients in health care facilities, such as hospital intensive care units, long-term acute care hospitals, and ventilator-capable skilled nursing facilities.
“Early detection and infection control in hospitals and nursing homes is the most important way to stop its spread,” said CDC Mycotic Diseases branch chief Dr. Tom Chiller.
In 2026, a total of 3,437 cumulative cases have been reported so far in 27 states compared to 4,290 last year.
Two states, North Dakota and New Mexico, only report one case this year.
Several strains of C. auris are dubbed a superbug because they cannot be killed with standard antifungal medicines, such as fluconazole.
As a result, there are few treatment options. The CDC estimates that in up to 60 percent of people, C. auris infections have been fatal.
In Tennessee, confirmed infections increased from 10 cases in 2025 to 283 in 2026, while in Virginia, infections increased by 55 from 77 in 2025 to 132 cases in 2026.
In Ohio and Louisiana, infections rose equally this year by 76 confirmed cases.
While Tennessee saw the largest increase in 2026, California and Texas account for the highest volume of confirmed clinical cases with 873 and 433 cases, respectively, for the week ending July 25.
They were followed by Tennessee with 283 cases, Ohio with 279 cases, and Georgia with 193 cases.
Candida auris was first reported in the United States in 2016, and since then CDC officials have categorized it as an urgent threat.
"We need to act now to better understand, contain, and stop the spread of this drug-resistant fungus,” former CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said shortly after C. auris was first detected in U.S. hospitals. “This is an emerging threat, and we need to protect vulnerable patients and others."