Dangerous, drug-resistant fungus spreads across N.Y., N.J. hospitals and nursing homes

A dangerous fungus is spreading across hospitals and nursing homes nationwide, including in New York and New Jersey.

Candida auris is hard to detect and resistant to anti-fungal medicine. It can cause serious infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Health officials said there were more than 7,000 reported cases across the United States in 2025, which is a sharp increase from just a few years ago.

"It's being called a 'superbug'"

According to the CDC, most candida auris infections can be treated with a class of antifungal medications called echinocandins, but Hackensack Meridian Health published a medical review warning the fungus is becoming more resistant to medicine.

"Sometimes we get drug-resistant forms where there are no more antifungal drugs that are available to treat it. And that's why it's being called a 'superbug,'" said Dr. David Perlin, chief scientific officer at the Center for Discovery and Innovation at Hackensack Meridian Health.

He said the potentially deadly infection is spreading mostly in health care settings like hospitals and nursing homes. 

Symptoms and spread of candida auris

The symptoms of candida auris, which is a type of yeast, depend on how severe and where the infection is, according to the CDC.

They could include fever or chills, but there isn't a single common set of symptoms. It often causes no symptoms for healthy people, but can pose a serious threat to patients with severe underlying illnesses.

Researchers say outdated diagnostics often misidentify the infection, which delays treatment.

Because candida auris can spread easily onto surfaces and surroundings, asymptomatic patients may not realize they have it on their skin and can spread it to objects or people around them.

"When you have a colonizer that can colonize the skin and can also persist for long periods of time, for example, on bedrails, on catheters, you have a situation where you have extensive transmission," Perlin said.

While researchers are testing new anti-fungal drugs, experts say strict infection control and early detection are the best defenses.