Study: Nostril, hand swabs more reliable for C. auris detection

Key takeaways:

Researchers assessed a novel screening strategy for C. auris involving nostril and hand swabs.

They found this method was more consistent vs. the standard axilla and groin composite samples.

Testing swabs taken from anterior nares and hands improved the sensitivity and consistency of Candida auris screening compared testing axilla and groin swabs, researchers found.

“ Candida auris is difficult to identify and even more difficult to control. We wanted to learn more about how it can colonize certain locations on a patient’s body to better understand how C. auris spreads,” Luisa F. López , MS , CDC’s Mycotic Diseases Branch, told Healio. “Colonization screening is an important strategy for health care facilities to identify which patients have C. auris an