Yet another virus could potentially be on the loose in the United States. And this one is deadly.
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A new study alerts people to Candida auris. The fungus can penetrate into a person's hair follicles, completely alter the immune system for the worse, and ultimately make human skin into the "perfect nest" for infection.
Deadly New Hair Virus Confirmed in 23 States
Even worse, the virus is already hitting close to home. C. Auris already has 23 confirmed cases across the country. Including New York City, which in a lot of ways was the epicenter of the COVID-19 virus.
An individual can be infected by Candida Auris and go months without having any symptoms.
Candida auris is able to survive on the human skin by "altering the structure of its outer wall, exposing more of a molecule called chitin." This, in turn, allows C.Auris to survive.
Dr. Suzanne Noble, a professor of microbiology at the University of California, San Francisco, and co-senior author of the study, says that the human skin is not unfamiliar with chitin because of its "widespread" nature. But the "surprise" was discovering how chitin can turn human skin into a "perfect nest"
"Chitin is widespread in nature, so it's not like the human skin never encounters it, but we were surprised to see that C. auris actively uses its chitin to turn the skin into a perfect nest," Dr. Noble said in a press release.
"It's only when it reaches deeper tissues in medically vulnerable patients that it becomes dangerous. Understanding how it survives on the skin may help explain how it eventually causes serious infections."
The virus is most likely to occur in healthcare settings such as hospitals, hospices, or nursing homes.
This report comes just days after a report of a Salmonella outbreak that caused "at least 110 people" to fall ill in Minnesota. Due to a bad batch of jalapeños from Chipotle and other Mexican-style restaurants. In addition, shredded lettuce from Taco Bell was named as the catalyst of the Cyclospora parasite outbreak. A virus that can lead to explosive diarrhea.
