Plastic pollution as a novel reservoir for the environmental survival of the drug resistant fungal pathogen Candida auris

The WHO recently classified Candida auris as a fungal pathogen of "critical concern". Evidence suggests that C. auris emerged from the natural environment, yet the ability of this pathogenic yeast to survive in the natural environment is still poorly understood. The aim of this study, therefore, was to quantify the persistence of C. auris in simulated environmental matrices and explore the role of plastic pollution for facilitating survival and potential transfer of C. auris. Multi-drug resistant strains of C. auris persisted for over 30 days in river water or seawater, either planktonically, or in biofilms colonising high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or glass. C. auris could be transferred from plastic beads onto simulated beach sand, particularly when the sand was wet. Importantly, all C. auris cells recovered from plastics retained their pathogenicity; therefore, plastic pollution could play a significant role in the widescale environmental dissemination of this recently emerged pathogen.</p

Progression of Patient Cohorting in Response to COVID-19 at the Jefferson Methodist Emergency Department

While COVID-19 and it’s various complications are a source of a substantial number of Emergency Department (ED) visits, many patients still arrive to the ED for non-COVID-19 indications. Due to pre-existing construction which was halted by the pandemic, external space for a tent configuration was unavailable. In effort to decrease patient, staff and nurse exposure to COVID, a system of cohorting was created to assure uninterrupted service in a manner as safe as possible for all involved. Given the uncertainty of patient volumes and the potential for a high burden of disease similar to our colleagues in New York and New Jersey, this system was created in stages to dynamically flex to the needs of the department

Urban Mayors Press - Winter 2021

The Urban Mayors Press is a digital newsletter created to highlight the impactful work of New Jersey Urban Mayors Association (NJUMA) members and to provide resourceful information to municipalities throughout New Jersey from federal, state and local agencies