​​​Candida ​​auris Colo​nization Screen​ing at the Microbial Diseases Laboratory.  Effective March 6th, 2023

As part of statewide and national surveillance efforts focused on antimicrobial resisitant pathogens, the California Department of Public Health’s Microbial Diseases Laboratory Branch (CDPH MDL) now offers Candida auris colonization screening from patient skin swabs, in addition to our existing fungal culture identification and confirmation testing services.

​Candida auris colonization testing is performed by a molecular method in order to rapidly and accurately detect the presence of C. auris directly from patient specimens. The CDPH MDL performs a Real-Time PCR assay to detect C. auris from skin swabs collected using the ESwab™ collection system. Only PCR results will be reported for most specimes; however, culture-based testing will be performed on specimens with "indeterminate” PCR results and confirmatory results will be reported. The turn-around time is 2-3 business days for PCR results, and 7-14 business days for culture results (if applicable).​

Specimens for which “positive” PCR results were obtained will be cultured for potential referral to ARLN Regional Laboratory for AFST and/or WGS. This additional testing is for surveillance purposes only and will not be reported back to the original submitter.​​

​Prior approval by the CDPH’s Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) Program is required for specimen submission (see contact info below).

​More detailed test information is available on MDL Services and Test Catalog webpage at MDL Services and Test​​ Catalog. Additional information on C. auris is available from the CDPH Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) Program at​ Healt​hcare-Associated Infections (HAI).​
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Ke​y Con​​​​​tac​t​​​​ Info​​rm​​ation: ​

• ​​​Candida auris l​​aboratory colonization sc​r​eening​​​

​​CDPH MDL Mycobacterial, Mycotic and Parasitic Diseases Section, Mycology Unit
Email: CDPHMDLMMP@cdph.ca.gov​​​​ 
Phone: (510) 412-3926 

• ​​​​​​CDPH Healthcare-​​Associated Infections (HAI) Progra​m
  

​Email: HAIProgram@cdph.ca.gov 

• ​​California Antimicro​bial Resistance Laboratory (CARL) P​​​rogr​am​​​
  

Email: CARLProgram@cdph.ca.gov​​ 

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