Deadly Hospital Fungus Outruns Texas Drugs

A fungus that can kill and now shrugs off some of medicine’s strongest drugs is spreading across Texas, and San Antonio scientists are racing to find what still works.

Quick Take

Candida auris, a drug-resistant fungus, is spreading in Texas and has been confirmed in dozens of states nationwide.
UT Health San Antonio researchers say many strains resist azole drugs, and some resist amphotericin B, once seen as a last-resort treatment.
Fungus Testing Laboratory director Nathan Wiederhold says about 90% of isolates resist fluconazole, a common antifungal used worldwide.
The fungus spreads mainly in hospitals and nursing homes, clinging to skin and surfaces and resisting many standard cleaners.

A Growing Threat Hiding In Plain Sight

Candida auris does not announce itself with dramatic symptoms. It quietly colonizes skin, medical equipment, and hospital surfaces, waiting for a vulnerable patient. UT Health San Antonio says the fungus is now spreading, and doctors are running out of good options to stop it once it takes hold in a sick patient’s bloodstream.

The scary part is not just that it spreads. It is that standard treatments increasingly fail. “Many strains are resistant to azoles, one of our major antifungal drug classes, and some are also resistant to amphotericin B, which is often considered a drug of last resort,” UT Health San Antonio stated in its release on the fungus.

The Numbers Behind The Warning

Nathan Wiederhold, who leads the Fungus Testing Laboratory at UT Health San Antonio, put a hard number on the problem. He told KSAT that fluconazole, a antifungal drug used across the globe, no longer works on most samples his lab tests. “About 90% of the isolates are resistant to that drug,” Wiederhold said.

That statistic matters because fluconazole has long been a first-line defense against fungal infections. When nine out of ten samples shrug it off, doctors must reach for backup drugs faster, and those backups are running thinner. Wiederhold’s lab keeps testing new compounds to see how long each one holds up before resistance catches up again.

Why Hospitals Are Ground Zero

This is not a fungus most people pick up walking outside. It spreads mainly inside healthcare buildings, among patients who are already sick or weak. Candida auris clings to skin, medical tools, and hospital surfaces, and it survives many standard disinfectants far better than most germs, making outbreaks hard to stop once they start in a facility.

The Texas Department of State Health Services tracks confirmed cases and works with hospitals to control spread once it is found in a facility. A related report noted the fungus has now turned up in 23 states, with some strains showing resistance to every major class of antifungal drug doctors currently rely on, a pattern researchers call pan-resistance.

What Patients And Families Can Do

Basic hygiene still matters a great deal. Health officials recommend that patients, visitors, and hospital workers wash their hands with soap and water for a full 20 seconds, especially before and after contact with a patient’s room. It is a simple step, but it remains one of the most effective tools against a fungus that spreads through touch and contaminated surfaces.

Deadly fungus spreading in Texas now resistant to drugs; San Antonio researchers study new options https://t.co/IVICyQstHU

— KSAT 12 (@ksatnews) September 5, 2026

Some strains resist all three primary categories of antifungal medication, earning Candida auris the nickname “superbug” among infectious disease experts who track its rise. That label is not marketing hype. It reflects a real gap between how fast the fungus adapts and how fast new drugs reach patients who need them.

The Search For New Weapons

San Antonio’s Fungus Testing Laboratory does more than diagnose cases. Its team studies investigational drugs still working through approval, testing whether new compounds can beat strains that already resist everything on the market. One such drug, olorofim, has shown activity against several resistant molds in early case reports, offering a glimmer of hope for patients who have run out of standard options.

This kind of research matters far beyond San Antonio. Every new resistant strain identified in a Texas lab adds to a global map that hospitals worldwide use to prepare and respond. Local science, in this case, is doing national and international work, one tested sample at a time.