McMaster University scientists discovered and isolated the first live culture of the drug-resistant pathogen Candida auris from the ear canals of stray dogs. The results of the research have been published magazine Mushroom Magazine.
Candida auris, first reported in Japan in 2009, is a strain of yeast resistant to many antifungal drugs. This fungus is extremely dangerous, once infected, the fungus causes persistent and serious infections. It is estimated that approximately one in three patients with severe C. auris infection do not survive.
In the new study, scientists discovered that stray dogs carry drug-resistant strains of C. auris, and they worry that pets may unwittingly become reservoirs of pathogens. The researchers tested skin samples and ear sticks from 87 dogs from shelters in Delhi. Of these, 42 animals were homeless and already in intensive care for chronic skin diseases – in four of them the authors found signs of C. auris in their ear canals.
“We need to be careful when monitoring dogs and other domestic and wild animals in areas where C. auris is endemic. Although the pathogen is easily transmitted from person to person, the route of transmission between animals or from animals to humans is less clear and more research is needed,” the authors conclude.
Previously recognizedthat a deadly fungus is spreading rapidly in the United States.