The risk of another deadly disease has increased in the country amid the rising cases of Coronavirus pandemic. Scientists are apprehensive of this disease that it may also take the form of a Pandemic. Researchers have found a ‘superbug’, a type of fungus called Candida auris or C-Auris on the Andaman Islands in the Indian Ocean. A study in this regard has been published in the journal mBio.
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Menace it posed
Candida Auris or C-Auris is more dangerous because it is a Superbug, which means most anti fungal drugs have no effect on it. It emerged in early 2009 as a human pathogen on three continents. This fungus often succumbs to weak immunity persons. According to the report of Live Science, the corona epidemic has provided an environment for this deadly fungus to spread rapidly. It is therefore feared that the disease may take the form of another pandemic.
Research by the DU team
Dr. Anuradha Chowdhary, a medical mycologist at the University of Delhi and his team studied 48 soil and seawater samples from eight locations in the Andaman Islands. During this time she identified ‘superbugs’ in two places. One is the Salt Marsh Wetland, where almost there is no human presence and the other is a beach where human existence is present. Research by Dr. Chaudhary’s team found that the ‘superbug’ found on the beach was multi-drug resistant compared to the other. In such a situation, the concern of scientists has increased that it may take the form of apandemic.
Transmission of this fungus
Although, it has not been clear in the study that Candida Auris originated naturally on the Andaman Islands or has arrived here from somewhere. However, this fungus has made its presence in many parts of the world and has also caused many deaths. Considering the pace of infection, scientists believe that Candida Auris spreads like corona through human interaction.
What are the Symptoms?
This ‘superbug’ enters the body through a wound. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), superbugs mixed into the blood after entering the human body and then cause Sepsis – a condition that causes 11 million deaths worldwide. Talking about its symptoms, although it does not show any special symptoms, after some time, the person suffers from fever and chills. The most dangerous thing is that even after taking the medicine, the fever does not come down and the victim may even die.
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Warning from US CDC
According to the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this microbe can cause severe hemorrhagic infection, especially in patients who need catheters, feeding tubes, or respiratory tubes. At the same time, live science reports suggest that the treatment of this infection can be difficult because often many anti fungal drugs do not affect the microbe and it can remain in the environment for a long time.