According to a new report this month from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) cases of Candidozyma auris (C. auris) formerly known as Candida auris, a drug-resistant fungus, have increased by 67% in hospitals over the last year representing a growing challenge and cost to healthcare systems. Ondine Biomedical, a leader in light activated antimicrobials for the treatment and prevention of infections, has found its Steriwave photodisinfection technology to be 99.9% effective against C. auris
The ECDC reported a total of 1,346 cases in 2023, up by c. 400% from 2020. The true scale of the problem is likely much higher, as challenges with identification and a lack of systematic surveillance mean many cases go unreported. Public health officials in the USA have also identified C. auris as an urgent threat, citing a CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) study that found a nearly 60% 90-day mortality rate in those who contract it.
C. auris is not only deadly but also highly costly. According to the ECDC, a single outbreak can exceed €1 million in containment and treatment expenses. The fungus is able to survive on surfaces and medical equipment for extended periods and is resistant to most disinfectants, making it a growing occupational health risk to healthcare professionals, as well as their patients.
“Emerging from the shadows of the bacterial antimicrobial resistance pandemic, fungal infections are growing, and are ever more resistant to treatments, becoming a public health concern worldwide” said Dr Hanan Balkhy, WHO Assistant Director-General, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).
Ondine will be presenting UK-based infection reduction results at the International Conference on Prevention and Infection Control (ICPIC) in Geneva on 18 September 2025 in an oral presentation. At ICPIC 2019, the Company presented its groundbreaking Steriwave photodisinfection technology, demonstrating a remarkable 99.9% (3 log) eradication of the C. auris fungus in just minutes.
Carolyn Cross, CEO of Ondine, stated: “Our light-activated antimicrobial platform has been shown to inactivate a broad spectrum of clinically relevant pathogens, including fungi such as C. auris and Mucor. We see substantial potential in its application for managing the rising burden of invasive fungal infections in hospitalized patients.”
Over the past decade, the costs related to invasive fungal infections have risen sharply, primarily due to expanding at-risk, immunocompromised and critically ill patient populations, longer hospital stays, and complex treatment requirements. The estimated annual cost of invasive fungal infections is approximately $19.4 billion in the United States and ranges from €8,000 to over €80,000 per patient in the EU, with the total direct costs in the EU running into several billion euros each year. The main cost drivers are prolonged hospital stays, antifungal drug expenditures, and ICU admissions.
Steriwave is a non-invasive, painless therapy that involves applying a photosensitive agent to each nostril and illuminating it with a specific wavelength of red light which kills all types of pathogens in the nose, a major reservoir of bugs[RJ1] , immediately.
Steriwave is already being used in hospitals across Canada and increasingly in the UK’s NHS.
About Candidozyma (Candida) auris
Candidozyma auris enters hospital environments primarily through colonized or infected patients, often arriving via patient transfers or admissions from other healthcare or communal settings. Once in situ, it can persist on surfaces and be indirectly transmitted to other patients via healthcare workers or contaminated equipment, fueling outbreaks and challenging infection control efforts. Robust screening, environmental cleaning, and decolonization strategies—such as those offered by photodisinfection technologies—are critical in preventing and controlling C. auris outbreaks.
First identified in Japan in 2009, C. auris has become a prominent public health challenge, notable for its formidable resistance to standard antifungal treatments. It is associated with high transmission rates in healthcare settings and poses a grave risk to immunocompromised and vulnerable patients, including those undergoing cancer treatment, with mortality rates reaching up to 60% in severe cases (ECDC, 2023).
