A plan to use preventative methods, such as TOUCH Antimicrobial, for preparing ourselves for the next major health risk - Candida Auris
What have we learnt from that past 24 months of lockdown after lockdown? Simply put, as a species we were woefully unprepared for wide scale health threats. It’s that simple.
So, it’s time to get ahead. Stop reacting and start preventing future threats.
That’s exactly what we are doing at Bromoco International. As Covid-19 starts to become part of normal life, we turned our attention to what could come next. To no one’s surprise, the next threat is already here – Candida Auris (C. auris)
Candida Auris is a fungus that can cause a fatal bloodstream infection. Various strains have shown to be drug resistant with some completely immune to echinocandins – anti-fungal medication usually used to treat infections. That means if you catch it, you may be on your own to get through it. So those with a compromised immune system are seriously at risk, such as people who have had Covid-19.
Studies have shown that the mortality rate for those infected is between 30-60%. When you compare that to COVID-19’s mortality rate in the US of ~1.6% (New York Times November 2021) then you start to see why this fungus is something we need to get ahead of.
Further to the risks if you get infected, C. auris has the following issues:
Long surface survival
C. auris can survive at least 2 weeks on surfaces in a healthcare environment (NCBI – US National Center for Biotechnology)
Hard to detect
C. auris is difficult to detect using standard laboratory methods. Specialised laboratories are needed to determine if C. auris is present, and this often causes mis-diagnosis slowing down detection.
Extremely hard to eradicate
Only a small number of chemical and cleaning products have shown to be effective in killing the fungus. Some healthcare facilities have had to remove dry wall and rebuild to be sure that the fungus has been removed.
You could already be colonised
C. auris colonises in the skin, where it is mostly harmless and can live in harmony with humans. However, once it gets a chance to get inside of your body and cause an infection, that’s when you become compromised.
What are Bromoco International doing to get ahead of this threat?
We have recently run trials of our TOUCH Antimicrobial coating in a health care facility in Virginia that is known to be colonised by C. auris. The two test rooms showed that surfaces coated with TOUCH Antimicrobial reduced the count of C. Auris to zero. A massive success for such a persistent fungus. The CDC are now conducting further tests on swabs taken from the site where TOUCH Antimicrobial has been used.
How does TOUCH Antimicrobial protect against Fungi?
TOUCH Antimicrobial contains silver ions which are locked into the coating. These silver ions act by producing reactive oxygen species and free radicals, which cause protein denaturation, nucleic acid and proton pump damage, lipid peroxidation, and cell wall damage. Therfore they alter the cell membrane permeability, causing cell death.
TOUCH Antimicrobial is unique in how it uses the silver ion as the active ions are permanently suspended in the coating and cannot leech into the environment and cause unintended harm - unlike many nan coatings.
We are extremely exited to be able to help, and in a way that can result in preventing C. auris entering a healthcare environment - where it does the most damage. We believe it is vital for attitudes to shift from reacting to threats to taking preventative action; and we are here to help.
For more information on how TOUCH Antimicrobial can help you protect your environment from Candida Auris contact us at sales@bromocointernational.com.
Links
NCBI: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
CDC website: https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/candida-auris/index.html
CDC fact sheet: https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/diseases/candidiasis/pdf/Candida_auris_508.pdf
Silver ions vs Fungi: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnano.2021.679358/full
