Epidemiology, Distribution, Key Characteristics, and Challenges of Candidozyma auris (Formerly Candida auris): A Narrative Review With a Special Focus on Türkiye.

This narrative review summarizes the epidemiology, microbiological and clinical features, antifungal resistance, transmission dynamics, and public health significance of Candidozyma auris globally and with a focus on Türkiye. C. auris has emerged as an important fungal pathogen because of its capacity for healthcare-associated colonization, environmental persistence, biofilm formation, laboratory misidentification, and multidrug resistance. Available evidence suggests that its rapid global spread is related to environmental tolerance, skin colonization, interclade phenotypic differences, and antifungal resistance mechanisms. Reported cases from Türkiye further support the need for strengthened infection control and surveillance systems. It represents a significant nosocomial fungal threat that necessitates the simultaneous implementation of clinical management and public health responses. In addition, it has been observed that the dominant clade in Türkiye is Clade I, that early cases were misidentified due to laboratory method-related limitations, and that there are substantial variations in antifungal susceptibility even within the same case series.