Infectious disease
CDC report describes rising detections of brain-infecting fungus
The CDC report describes rising detections of C. bantiana, a fungus associated with severe brain infections that can affect otherwise healthy people.
A CDC report describes rising detections of Cladophialophora bantiana, a fungus that can infect the brain. Fox News reported that data from a University of Washington microbiology laboratory showed annual detections rising from one to five cases per year between 2009 and 2023 to eight in 2024 and 14 in 2025. Detections per 1,000 brain tissue specimens rose from 8.4 during 2017-2023 to 26 in 2025. The reason for the increase is unknown, according to the report.
From January 2009 through July 2026, the laboratory identified 48 confirmed cases and one probable case in tissue samples from 21 states and the District of Columbia. The median patient age was 68 years, and about half of infections occurred in otherwise healthy people, Fox reported. The fungus was detected in brain tissue in 88% of cases and lung tissue in 12%. The report calls for systematic national reporting to track the fungus. Fox said public health experts advise clinicians to consider it when evaluating patients with signs of a brain abscess.
