S10.4d A unique clinical appearance of Candida auris infection in Japan

S10.4 EMERGING ANTIFUNGAL RESISTANT FUNGI, SEPTEMBER 24, 2022, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM: It has only been 15 years since Candida auris was reported isolated from the ear canal of a 70-year-old Japanese woman in Tokyo, and no record of an isolate corresponding to this species has been found prior to 1996. It is a high public health priority concern in several regions of the world. This is because the fungus is multidrug-resistant and can acquire resistance to all three major groups of current antifungal drugs (azoles, echinocandins, and amphotericin B). Outbreaks in healthcare facilities are also a concern. The main reasons for this are as follows: unlike other Candida spp. that primarily inhabit the digestive and urinary systems, C. auris readily colonizes patient skin and can survive for several weeks on dry, non-living surfaces, contributing to infections and outbreaks in healthcare facilities. : In Japan, C. auris was first identified in 2009 in a discharge from the ear canal of a patient admitted to a Japanese hospital, and since then, all isolates have come from the ear canal, with only a few reported strains. For reasons unknown, as of 2022, C. auris has not been reported as a cause of invasive disease in Japan, and no nosocomial infections have occurred. Whole genome analysis suggests that all Japanese isolates belong to Clade II, affecting drug resistance and clinical characteristics. : In this symposium, I will present the current status of C. auris infection in Japan, the first country where C. auris infection originated, together with its unique clinical features and molecular epidemiological analysis.