Candida auris (including rule-out Candida auris)

Reportable by Laboratories and Providers

About this Reportable Disease

Infectious agent: Candida auris

Description of illness:

C. auris is a yeast that can cause varied illness types, from localized wound infections to severe, invasive bloodstream infections in hospitalized patients. It is often multidrug resistant, results in persistent colonization of skin, survives for a long time in the environment, and has resulted in outbreaks.

Rule-out C. auris is meant to catch cases of C. auris that might be misidentified as other yeasts due to the laboratory identification method used.

Cases of C. auris can be either screening or clinical.

A screening case is when a patient is colonized with C. auris on their skin with no signs or symptoms.

Clinical cases are when patients have an infection caused by C. auris, such as a urinary tract infection or bloodstream infection.

Laboratory Reporting for this Disease

Candidiasis

TEST NAME	Candida isolate testing
DIESEASE/DISORDER	Candidiasis
ALTERNATE NAME(S)	None
METHODOLOGY	MALDI-TOF, Antifungal Susceptibility Testing (AFST)
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS	*Isolate submission REQUIRED for confirmed, suspected, and "rule-out" Candida auris* isolates (any specimen source)** Isolates received on the same patient will have antifungal susceptibility testing performed once every 30 days (based on the date of collection) unless it is a different organism or is requested by a healthcare provider in response to treatment failure.
ORDERING INFORMATION	Lab Web Portal

Specimen Requirements

Patient Preparation	None
Specimen Collection	Culture isolates on Sabouraud's agar or other appropriate media in screw capped tube. - Candida species other than C. albicans from any specimen source, especially invasive sites - Yeast isolates from any specimen source when unable to identify species after identification was attempted
Specimen Labeling	Specimen should be labeled with at least two unique patient identifiers along with specimen source and match accompanying test order.
Specimen Processing	None
Specimen Storage and Preservation	Store samples at ambient temperature prior to shipment.
Specimen Transport	Ship specimens at ambient temperature. All infectious substance shipments must conform to U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR 49 C.F.R. Parts 171-180).
Specimen Acceptability and Rejection	Unsatisfactory specimens include, but may not be limited to:- - Damaged or visible leakage of transport tubes/plates. - Specimens without an accompanying PH-4182 Clinicial Submission Form - Specimen does not have two unique identifiers. Specimens received that do not meet the specimen requirements outlined in the Directory of Services or that deviate from the special instructions will not be acceptable for testing.
Testing Location	Nashville

Laboratory Reporting

Reporting requirements apply to all laboratories located within Tennessee, as well as laboratories outside of Tennessee that test residents of Tennessee, including laboratories located within healthcare facilities. Healthcare providers and laboratories in the same healthcare facility both have a duty to report. The type of organisms and analytes laboratories must report to TDH for 2026 are indicated, and there are several ways laboratories can report results to TDH.

Manually report results to TDH by faxing or mailing a completed PH-1600 form to your local health department, or faxing to the state health office at (615) 741-3857
Automatically submit results to TDH via electronic laboratory reporting (ELR), which automates the process of sharing data with TDH using interoperability standards.
- See the ELR Onboarding Handbook for details on the onboarding process, checklist, frequently asked questions, business rules, message format, and vocabulary.
- To initiate the ELR onboarding process with TDH, register in the Trading Partner Registration (TPR) system TPR provides documentation for Promoting Interoperability (PI) attestation and milestone letters to document onboarding progress. Contact MU.Health@tn.gov for assistance.
Submit online via NBS. NBS is TDH's reportable disease system. To request an NBS account for reporting Complete this user survey to request an NBS account for reporting.
Blood lead levels can be sent via fax ( (615) 741-3857), entered online, or reported using the instructions at this link.

Information about this Reportable Disease for Healthcare Providers

Clinical Summary

Candida auris (C. auris) is an emerging yeast that can cause life-threatening invasive infections and is often resistant to multiple antifungal medications. Patients may also be colonized (carry the organism on their skin or body sites) without symptoms; colonization still matters because it can spread in healthcare settings.
Ill or immunocompromised patients with substantial healthcare exposure are at highest risk, and C. auris is highly transmissible in healthcare facilities, where it can cause clusters and outbreaks and persist on surfaces.
Clinical management depends on whether there is true infection: CDC emphasizes that only clinical infections should be treated, and infectious diseases consultation can be considered for suspected or confirmed cases.
Tennessee considers C. auris a reportable healthcare-associated infection and provides reporting pathways (online or fax) and guidance for specimen submission for laboratory testing to support containment and public health response.

Clinical Links & Info

Review the case definition | CDC

Candida auris Case Report Form | TDH

Healthcare Provider Reporting

Healthcare reporting requirements apply to all providers located within Tennessee, as well as providers whose patients reside in Tennessee.

Providers must report cases of all diseases and conditions listed through one of these methods:

• Mail or fax a completed PH-1600 form to your local health department or fax to the state health office at (615) 741-3857

• Send automatically via electronic case reporting (eCR). See this TDH webpage for more information on eCR, register at the Trader Partner Registration website, or contact MU.Health@tn.gov for assistance.

• Submit online via NBS. NBS is TDH's reportable disease system. To request an NBS account for reporting Complete this user survey to request an NBS account for reporting.

• Blood lead levels can be sent via fax ( (615) 741-3857), entered online, or reported using the instructions at this link.

Information about this Reportable Disease for the Public

What It Is

Candida auris (C. auris) is a type of yeast (fungus) that can cause severe illness. It can lead to a range of infections, from more superficial infections to serious, life-threatening bloodstream infections, and it is often resistant to antifungal medicines.

Who Is Most at Risk

C. auris most often affects people who are already very sick and receiving care in healthcare facilities. Some people can carry C. auris on their skin or body sites without symptoms (called colonization), but colonization can still lead to spread and, in some cases, infection.

How It Spreads

C. auris spreads easily in healthcare settings and can cause outbreaks. Both infected and colonized people can spread it, and the organism can persist in the healthcare environment, which is why strict infection prevention practices are important.

Prevention and What to Expect in Healthcare

Healthcare facilities use multiple strategies to prevent spread, such as special precautions for affected patients, careful cleaning and disinfection, and—in some situations—screening to identify people who are colonized so facilities can put protections in place.

Reporting and Public Health Response in Tennessee

In Tennessee, Candida auris is reportable to the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH), including “rule-out” C. auris in certain situations, to support rapid public health action and help prevent spread in healthcare facilities.

This Page Last Updated: March 25, 2026 at 8:53 PM