A superbug that’s resistant to antibiotics is quickly spreading through the United States, with 158 cases reported in Alabama this year, according to the state’s health department. Candida auris is a yeast or fungus that causes serious infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can last on surfaces and skin for months, withstanding cleaning and disinfectants, and can spread through medical equipment and person-to-person contact. “Each year, we have seen increases in our case counts which underscores the need for sustained vigilance,” the Alabama Department of Public Health told AL.com. Nursing homes and other long-term health care facilities are being hit the hardest by the spread, ADPH said. “At this time, the Alabama Department of Public Health’s primary concern is the potential for unrecognized transmission within and between healthcare facilities,” the department added. ADPH said in an email that it is following the CDC’s suggested containment strategy. Health care providers and laboratories are voluntarily reporting cases to the department, though the state’s numbers aren’t listed on the CDC’s national tracker. Neighboring states are also seeing cases of the superbug, CDC data shows. Tennessee reported 189 cases, Mississippi reported 108 and Georgia reported 377. Like Alabama, Florida did not have data listed on the CDC site. The superbug first emerged in 2009 and has become more and more common, the federal health agency said. It arrived to the US in 2016 with 51 cases. By 2020, there were over 700 cases and this year 7,046 were reported nationwide as of Dec. 20, according to data from the CDC. Twenty eight states had cases in 2025, with Nevada reporting the most. The superbug can infect different parts of the body like the blood, wounds, and ears, according to the CDC. Symptoms depend on where you’ve been infected and its severity, and in some cases, there may be no symptoms at all. The federal agency said most patients who become sick with Candida auris were already very sick, making it difficult to know how much the fungus contributed to their death compared to other pre-existing illnesses. ADPH told AL.com that there are a number of measures they can take to combat the superbug’s spread. “Continued collaboration with healthcare partners, timely reporting, and adherence to recommended infection control practices are critical to preventing further spread and limiting outbreaks,” ADPH said. This story was updated to include comment from the Alabama Department of Public Health. Savannah Tryens-Fernandes is an investigative reporter covering health and medical care in Alabama. She joined AL.com as an education reporter and Report for America corps member in 2021, covering efforts to... more