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Hospital in Detroit works to end outbreak of ‘potentially dangerous’ drug-resistant fungal infections

Select Specialty Hospital Northwest Detroit pausing admissions to address outbreak

This image depicted a frontal view of a Petri dish culture plate, which contained an unknown growth medium, that had been inoculated with a strain of Candida auris fungal organisms. (CDC/ NCEZID; DFWED; MDB)

A hospital in Detroit will no longer admit patients while it works to end an outbreak of Candida auris, according to MDHHS.

Select Specialty Hospital Northwest Detroit is a 36-bed critical illness recovery hospital. It is located on the seventh floor of Sinai-Grace Hospital and has a separate patient care area. The pause on admissions only applies to Select Specialty Hospital Northwest Detroit.

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Officials said they have documented an outbreak of C. auris and it has spread within the facility. An outbreak, generally, is defined as three or more linked cases.

“The department has been working very closely with Select Specialty Hospital –Northwest Detroit to assure all appropriate steps are being taken in a timely manner to protect the health, safety and welfare of patients within the health facility,” said MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel. “We appreciate the cooperation of the facility in voluntarily pausing admissions as we work together to address these potentially dangerous infections and protect vulnerable Michigan residents.”

Read: ‘Superbug’ fungus spread in two cities, health officials say

What is c. auris? Why is it a concern?

C. auris is a drug-resistant germ that can spread through contact with affected patients and contaminated surfaces or equipment.

It is a yeast that can cause serious infections and even death. It is particularly dangerous in hospital and nursing home patients with serious medical problems. Antifungal medicines that are used to treat Candida infections often do not work against C. auris.

“The Detroit Health Department is working with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and Detroit area hospitals to prevent the spread of C. auris, which poses a health risk to hospital patients with weakened immune systems,” said Denise Fair Razo, Detroit Chief Public Health Officer. “We will provide epidemiology tracking and support to Detroit area hospitals to make sure staff have protocols in place to stop the spread of this organism and protect patients.”

How many cases have been in Michigan?

There have been 15 C. auris cases in Michigan since 2021. Seven of them were identified in the last five weeks in patients who were at Select Specialty Hospital Northwest Detroit.

Officials said there have not been any life-threatening illness or deaths from this outbreak. They said there is not a threat to the general public.

“We are fully cooperating with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and taking all necessary infection control measures, guided by the CDC and state, to ensure the safety of our current and future patients,” said Shelly Eckenroth, senior vice president of communications, Select Medical.

What is the state doing?

MDHHS and local health departments are working to screen patients that have been discharged from the hospital since March 1. No additional cases have been identified.

What is the hospital doing?

Officials said the hospital is taking measures to control the spread of C. auris within the facility. They are educating health care providers, patients and their families. They have also increased attention on hand hygiene practices and the use of personal protective equipment during care of all patients.

They are enhancing deep cleaning of high-touch surfaces and medical equipment using disinfectants effective against C. auris. They are also doing an additional layer of patient screening to identify other positive patients.

“Sinai-Grace Hospital has extensive and rigorous infection prevention protocols in place to ensure all hospital services remain safe and available to care for the community,” said Detroit Medical Center CEO Brittany Lavis. “We have not identified any Sinai-Grace Hospital patients who have tested positive for C. auris. We are fully cooperating with the department and support the decision to pause patient admissions at the Select Specialty Hospital-Northwest Detroit.”

The specialty hospital has also implemented the following protocols:

  • Screening all patients for auris prior to discharge and notifying the receiving entity of the C. auris outbreak at the facility and the results of the patient’s screening.
  • Conducting facility-wide auris screening of all patients at least once every two weeks.
  • Allowing MDHHS and cooperating public health agencies, including the local health department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to conduct a public health investigation.

How do I know if I have an infection?

The most common symptoms are fever and chills that don’t improve after antibiotics for a suspected bacterial infection. Only a laboratory test can diagnose a C. auris infection.

C. auris is still very rare. People who get invasive Candida infections are often already sick from other medical conditions, according to the CDC. It can be difficult to know if you have a C. auris infection.


Read: Complete health coverage


About the Author
Kayla Clarke headshot

Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.

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