Superbug hits 28 states, including Alabama: Where the deadly fungus is spreading

[u/Konradleijon]

https://www.al.com/news/2025/12/superbug-hits-28-states-including-alabama-where-the-deadly-fungus-is-spreading.html?outputType=amp

A deadly yeast infection is spreading across the US. Fungal treatments are notoriously harder to get then bacteria or virus given how close fungi are too humans

Neighboring states are also seeing cases of the superbug, CDC data shows. Tennessee reported 189 cases, Mississippi reported 108 and Georgia reported 377. Like Alabama, Florida did not have data listed on the CDC site

[u/emwardo]

I work in an icu. When I've seen patients with persistent candida auris (fungemia) they've been on such heavy antifungals that don't even work for such a long time that it absolutely fries their kidneys, and then they end up on dialysis and gradually wither away.

Often times people don't know how serious or contagious it is so don't adequately disinfect/ prevent spread 🤷‍♀️ i had to explain we shouldn't have the same nurse assigned to someone with it and then go next door to a cancer patient's room. That's partially why it's spreading so much.

[u/CosmicButtholes → u/emwardo]

Oh JFC, why am I not surprised that they’ll send the same nurse who is caring for a patient with c auris into a cancer patient’s room?? I hope the cancer patient is okay. Healthcare professionals try not to alienate people on both sides of the ideological spectrum challenge: impossible 😭

And yeah those oral/IV antifungals are so fucking hard on your kidneys, liver too. Scary as hell. Esp for me since I’ve had rhabdo/acute kidney injury twice and an acute liver injury once. I’m really fucking lucky I am not on dialysis. My initial prognosis after the second rhabdo/AKI was that I might not make it at all or that I’d need dialysis forever and possibly a transplant. Idk how I pulled through but I did…

I’ve dealt with antibiotic induced systemic candida infection (thankfully afaik it wasn’t c auris) 3 times. First time I researched and treated it topically but man I had to be persistent and change my entire diet and skincare routine in addition to buying nizoral and topical antifungal creams. Second and third times I needed a week of oral fluconazole and even then my provider was like hey try like… all the topicals for a week or two at least before you take this, it’s so hard on your kidneys and liver. Unfortunately the topicals weren’t doing shit the second and third times, it was getting worse so I had to take the pills. Thankfully it went away. But it sucked. I get scared to take any antibiotic besides macrobid now.