The Latest Figures Expand the Available Count for Texas. A UTHealth Houston specialist notes that the fungus is regularly detected in the metropolitan area, mainly in healthcare settings.
Updated August 31, 2026 with cumulative figures through August 22.
Texas registered 811 cases of Candida auris detected through colonization screening and 489 clinical cases through August 22, 2026, according to the latest provisional federal surveillance figures.
The new cutoff substantially expands the data available as of early August. At that time, Texas had 706 colonization detections accumulated through July 18.
The rise keeps attention on Candida auris in Texas and in the Houston area, though health officials note that the greatest risk is concentrated among patients with severe illnesses receiving complex medical care. People without those risk factors generally do not become infected or colonized.
Clinical Cases and Colonization Detections Measure Different Situations
The two Texas figures do not necessarily represent 1,300 separate people or 1,300 active infections.
811 screening or detection cases refer to patients in whom Candida auris was identified through tests aimed at detecting colonization. A colonized person may have the fungus on the skin or other parts of the body without feeling sick or having symptoms.
489 clinical cases refer to detections made in samples obtained during medical care to investigate or treat a possible disease. These samples may come from blood, wounds, urine, respiratory tracts, or other sites.
Even a case classified as clinical does not automatically equate to an invasive infection. Some samples obtained from non-invasive sites may reflect colonization.
A single person who first tests positive on a colonization test and later develops a clinical case may appear in both categories. For that reason, the two figures should not be added together to calculate a number of unique patients.
Candida auris Appears Regularly in the Houston Area
The presence of the fungus is not limited to other parts of Texas.
Dr. Luis Ostrosky, head of infectious diseases at UTHealth Houston, noted that Candida auris is regularly observed in the Houston metropolitan area.
The state tally does not allow determining how many of the cases pertain specifically to Houston or Harris County, but the fungus’s presence in medical facilities in the region confirms a local connection to the area’s healthcare system.
Candida auris concerns hospitals and long-term care facilities because it can spread between patients, persist for extended periods on certain surfaces, and exhibit resistance to antifungal medications.
Patients with Complex Medical Care Face the Highest Risk
The greatest risk is concentrated among people who already have serious medical problems or require invasive procedures and devices.
- Prolonged hospitalizations.
- Mechanical ventilation.
- Intravenous or urinary catheters.
- Feeding tubes.
- Care in extended acute-care hospitals or specialty nursing facilities.
- Recent exposure to facilities with Candida auris transmission.
Healthy individuals who do not present these factors generally do not develop infection or colonization. The CDC also does not recommend routine testing for family members or visitors of patients solely because they have had everyday contact with them.
The fungus can spread through contact with colonized or infected patients and with contaminated objects in healthcare facilities, including bed rails, tables, shared equipment, and other surfaces.
Hospitals employ measures such as hand hygiene, gloves and gowns, private rooms when possible, and disinfectants proven effective against Candida auris.
Texas Remains Among States with the Greatest Presence of Candida auris
The latest federal figures show that Texas continues to be among states with a high presence of the fungus, though it no longer ranks first nationally in current tables.
As of August 22, California had 1,032 clinical cases, compared with 489 in Texas. In colonization testing, Nevada led with 1,494 detections, while Texas accumulated 811.
Counts are provisional and may change as health departments submit, review, or reclassify information.
Nationally, the CDC counted 4,802 clinical cases and 5,194 screening cases through that same cut-off date in 2026.
Residents can consult the CDC’s official Candida auris surveillance, which explains the differences between clinical cases, colonization, and the methods used to count them.
