Review of treatment options for a multi-drug resistant fungus: Candida auris.

Candida auris is a widely distributed, highly lethal, multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen. It was first identified in 2009 when it was isolated from fluid drained from the external ear canal of a patient in Japan. Since then, it has caused infectious outbreaks in over 45 countries, with mortality rates approaching 60%. Drug resistance is common in this species, with a large proportion of isolates displaying fluconazole resistance and nearly half are resistant to two or more antifungal drugs. In this review, we describe the drug-resistance mechanism of C. auris, and potential small-molecule drugs for treating C. auris infection. Among these antifungal agents, rezafungin was approved by the FDA for the treatment of candidemia and invasive candidiasis on March 22, 2023. Ibrexafungerp and fosmanogepix have entered phase III clinical trials.