What can treat my 6 month old daughter’s Candida auris?

Question

Hello, Doctor,

My 6-month-old daughter was recently hospitalized due to severe dehydration, vomiting, and a stomach infection. Initially, she was being treated for a general gastrointestinal illness, but after five days in the hospital, her condition worsened. The doctors have now diagnosed her with a Candida auris infection.

She has been in the hospital for 10 days now, and unfortunately, there has been no significant improvement. The doctors informed us that this fungal infection is resistant to standard antifungal medications. We are extremely worried. Please tell me,

Could you please let us know if there are any effective treatments available for Candida auris in infants?
What antifungal drugs are typically used in such cases, especially when the infection is resistant?

Kindly help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I read your query and can understand your concern.

Candida auris is a serious and often challenging infection, particularly in infants. You are right to be concerned, but there are options, and treatment can still be successful even in difficult cases.

Candida auris is a multidrug-resistant fungal infection, often acquired in hospitals. It can spread quickly, especially in ICU settings. It can be resistant to multiple antifungal classes, making treatment more complex.

Effective antifungal treatments for C. auris in infants

The first-line treatment recommended by the CDC and WHO for suspected or confirmed C. auris infection is:

Echinocandins (First Choice), like Micafungin or Caspofungin, are the most commonly used. These are typically well-tolerated in infants, including neonates. If your daughter is receiving micafungin, she is on the most appropriate initial treatment.

Amphotericin B, or Liposomal Amphotericin B (L-AmB), is used when the strain is resistant to echinocandins or there is no clinical improvement after a few days of echinocandin therapy. Though it has more potential side effects (especially kidney-related), it is often used in critically ill infants if needed.
Combination Therapy is used in severe or resistant cases; doctors may use Micafungin with Amphotericin B together.

While C. auris is serious and notoriously resistant, many infants recover when managed aggressively and promptly with appropriate drugs and care. Lack of improvement at 10 days is very worrying. But not uncommon with resistant fungal infections. The treatment course can be long, and improvement may take time.

I hope this information helps you.

Feel free to ask further queries.

Thank you.