What's in a Name? The Yeast Formerly Known as Candida auris

As surveillance efforts continue to expand and our understanding of emerging fungal threats grows, one familiar pathogen is getting a new name. Following recent genomic review, Candida auris has been reclassified as Candidozyma auris. While the name is changing, the organism’s significance in infection prevention remains the same.

Candida auris (C. auris) has been at the forefront of infection prevention and control (IPC) and public health efforts since it was first identified in 2009. Scientists quickly realized this opportunistic yeast can not only cause a range of infections like candidemia but is often resistant to antifungals. With 7,512 new cases identified in 2026, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have encouraged enhanced screening and surveillance protocols and IPC efforts to prevent the spread of this dangerous fungal species.¹ Since it has an affinity for invasive medical devices and indefinite colonization, C. auris is especially adept at spreading in healthcare facilities, often causing life-threatening illness.

Source: Tracking C. auris | Candida auris (C. auris) | CDC

Time for a name change

Changes in nomenclature and name standardization are important in diagnostics and infectious disease research, along with biosurveillance, infection prevention and communication. As our capacity to study pathogens on a more detailed, genomic level increases, taxonomy also evolves to mirror such findings. That’s exactly what happened with Candida auris.

In comparing amino acid sequences, protein content and other defining characteristics, 2024 phylogenomic studies found that Candida auris is different from other Candida species and concluded that Candida auris actually sits in an entirely different genus and therefore should be reclassified.² As a result, Candidozyma was established as a new genus of yeasts in 2024, with Candidozyma auris as a species within it. The change reflects awareness that the Candida genus had long been used as a catch-all for various yeasts, but that further analysis identified key distinctions between them.

Who has and has not officially adopted the new name?

Widespread adoption and implementation will take time, as changes of this nature typically require broad consensus and coordinated institutional updates. There is also no specific regulating body for fungal taxonomy. Instead, reclassifications like this are discussed in expert groups such as Working Group of the International Committee on the Taxonomy of Fungi (ICTF). Given this, there is still some level of scientific debate on the renaming of Candida auris to Candidozyma auris, highlighting the need for larger DNA sequencing and phylogenic analysis as well as the nuances of adopting new taxonomy across clinical and public health settings.³

Adoption of the new name has varied. As of December 2025, materials from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) refer to Candida auris as Candidozyma auris. International health agencies, such as the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and international mycology organizations have incorporated the updated name in recent documents. On the other hand, U.S. government entities, such as the CDC and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), have not yet adopted the nomenclature change, including in updated webpages or surveillance reports. U.S. case tracking dashboards and laboratory guidance also still reference Candida auris. The good news is that the shortened name, C. auris, will still be applicable for both.

Impact to infection prevention and control

Until the EPA and U.S.-based public health agencies adopt the updated nomenclature, “Candida auris” will remain listed on EPA-registered disinfectant labels. For a full list of products EPA-registered against C. auris, please see EPA List P.

While both names will likely continue to appear in scientific literature and trade publications, the reclassification of Candida auris to Candidozyma auris does not change existing IPC practices, including isolation precautions, environmental cleaning and disinfection, or screening protocols.

During this period of nomenclature alignment, IPC professionals should expect to see both terms used across the literature, guidance documents and disinfectant labels. Importantly, this nomenclature update is taxonomic only and does not affect antimicrobial resistance profiles or clinical management. While the organism’s name is evolving to reflect advances in genomic science, the public health, clinical and infection prevention response to this pathogen remains unchanged.