2023-04-22 19:04:21
Recently, a worldwide outbreak of a yeast caused a stir. But that’s not the only threat lurking in our hospitals.
An unusual alarm message is currently making health authorities around the world sit up and take notice: First, in October, the WHO warned of the new yeast fungus Candida auris, then at the end of March the US health authorities were also alarmed at the rapid speed at which the pathogen was spreading. Hospitals are the main place of transmission for the fungal infection. Here you can read more about it.
So far only very few cases are known in Germany. But the number of unreported cases is likely to be higher because the infection is not reportable. Can the fungus be dangerous to us? In an interview with t-online, the infectiologist and hospital hygienist, Peter Walger, explains how high the risk is with Candida auris and what other germs threaten us in German clinics.
Mr. Walger, are you worried about the current global yeast outbreak?
Peter Walger: No, not particularly. So far, only very few cases have occurred worldwide and especially in Germany. I consider the reports on this new member of the yeast group as an early warning. Attention, when he appears you have to pay attention to him, he has unpleasant qualities, you should know them.
Which are they? Are the infections particularly dangerous or does the fungus cause problems for hospital hygiene? That’s probably where the contagion takes place…
Yes, both aspects play a role. In contrast to the well-known Candida budding fungi, there can be increased transmission from one patient to another. That’s why we’re hearing about some outbreaks right now. And in the event of an infection, you have to reckon with resistance. It is therefore certainly right and important to create a certain amount of attention before dealing with such a mushroom for the first time.
During the corona pandemic, outbreaks of multi-resistant germs have increased worldwide, especially in the corona isolation wards. Often more attention was paid to respiratory protection and basic protective measures such as hand disinfection or changing protective clothing between two patients were neglected.
There has recently been a major outbreak of this new fungus in Italy, which may have originated here. Even before the corona pandemic, Italy was known for below-average hospital hygiene. Problems with such pathogens cannot be overcome without optimal hospital hygiene.
dr Peter Walger is a specialist in internal medicine, intensive care medicine and infectiology. He is also a member of the board of the German Society for Hospital Hygiene (DGKH).
What actually makes hospitals so susceptible to such problem germs? Why is the risk of infection – regardless of whether it is with a fungus or another pathogen – particularly high here?
In them, many different people with very different diseases come together. Many of them have special risks for the entry or spread of infectious agents, whether it be surgical wounds, injuries, vascular or urinary catheters, breathing tubes or a weakened immune system, which makes them particularly vulnerable to infection. Special and professional hygiene is required to prevent the transmission of pathogens.
Multi-resistant germs are particularly critical in hospitals. According to estimates, around 2,400 people die every year in Germany as a result of an infection with such a pathogen. The best known is certainly MRSA. What makes him so treacherous?
Infections with Staphylococcus aureus are among the most common and, in the case of severe courses, also among the most dangerous infections. If important standard antibiotics then fail due to resistance, treatment becomes more difficult and the risk for the patient is significantly greater.
It’s not a big problem for healthy people, is it?
Usually not. It colonizes the skin and mucous membranes and becomes a problem if it enters the bloodstream through open wounds, for example after an operation. Then it can lead to serious infections that can no longer be treated according to standard due to the antibiotic resistance of the germ.
What therapy is there then?
So-called reserve antibiotics are used here, which are drugs that are not routinely prescribed, but only in these severe cases. They may only be used under very strict guidelines in order to prevent resistance from developing against them as well.
Do other multi-resistant germs occur more frequently in addition to MRSA?
There are always individual infections, but also outbreaks that will hopefully be detected early enough. In other countries, especially in south-east Europe, such as Greece, Italy or Romania and the other Balkan countries, these germs are a much bigger problem.
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