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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteThe fungus behind the alarming headline is Cladophialophora bantiana, a rare mold associated with brain abscesses. A CDC report published October 2, 2026, found that detections at one University of Washington reference laboratory rose sharply in 2024 and 2025. That is a signal from one lab—not proof that infections are increasing across the United States. Researchers do not know what explains the rise.
What the CDC report found
The CDC report reviewed molecular test results from the University of Washington (UW) clinical reference laboratory. From January 2009 through July 1, 2026, the lab identified 48 confirmed cases and one probable case. Forty-three detections came from tissue from the intracranial central nervous system (CNS), and six came from lung specimens. The cases originated in 21 states and the District of Columbia; the state of origin was unavailable for three. CDC MMWR, October 2, 2026.
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Annual detections at the lab ranged from one to five between 2009 and 2023, then climbed to eight in 2024 and 14 in 2025. The authors also accounted for the number of CNS specimens submitted to the lab: detections averaged 8.4 per 1,000 submitted CNS specimens during 2017–2023, compared with 26 per 1,000 in 2025. That comparison suggests the change was not explained by referral volume alone. It still describes one laboratory’s test results, not the rate of infection in the country.
| Measure | What the report says | What it can tell us |
|---|---|---|
| Annual detections | One to five per year at UW from 2009–2023; eight in 2024; 14 in 2025. | Detections at this laboratory increased in the two most recent complete calendar years in the report. |
| Detections relative to submitted CNS specimens | Average of 8.4 per 1,000 during 2017–2023; 26 per 1,000 in 2025. | The higher detection rate was not accounted for by increased CNS specimen submissions alone. |
| National incidence | Not established; routine national surveillance does not exist. | The report cannot show whether the number or rate of infections nationwide has risen. |
Why this is not yet evidence of a nationwide rise
The case series comes from a single clinical reference laboratory, and the CDC says routine national surveillance for C. bantiana infections does not exist. The lab’s counts depend on which patients were tested and which specimens were referred there. The per-1,000 comparison helps address one possible explanation—more submitted CNS specimens—but it does not turn the lab’s results into a national incidence estimate. The authors call for systematic reporting to establish a clearer picture. CDC MMWR.
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What the fungus does—and what is not known
C. bantiana is a darkly pigmented mold unusually associated with brain infection. Its predominant manifestation is a brain abscess, and infections have been reported in people both with and without known conditions that weaken the immune system. The CDC report says approximately half of patients have no preceding immunocompromising condition. The infection is rare, but severe: the report gives an associated case-fatality rate of 60%–70%, even with aggressive therapy. These figures describe reported cases, not an individual reader’s risk of becoming infected.
Researchers do not know the fungus’s natural environmental reservoir or why detections at the UW lab increased. Inhalation or direct inoculation through a skin injury, followed by spread through the bloodstream to the brain, are presumed routes rather than established explanations. The lung specimens in the UW series are compatible with a possible respiratory route, but they do not prove how patients acquired the infection. The authors state: “Reasons for the apparent increase are unknown.” CDC MMWR.
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The CDC identifies further epidemiologic research and investigation of potentially evolving virulence as research needs. The report does not establish that a new risk factor or greater virulence caused the laboratory’s increase.
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What the report means for patients and clinicians
The report says clinicians should consider C. bantiana when evaluating a patient with a brain abscess. It recommends prompt antifungal therapy as a clinical consideration and notes that surgical excision or drainage might improve outcomes when feasible. The most effective antifungal regimen is not known. These are clinician-directed considerations for a serious, uncommon infection, not guidance for self-diagnosis or self-treatment. CDC MMWR.
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What to take away from the headline
- The mold is Cladophialophora bantiana, which is associated with brain abscesses.
- One UW reference laboratory recorded 14 detections in 2025, following annual counts of one to five from 2009 through 2023.
- The increase persisted when detections were considered relative to submitted CNS specimens, but no national incidence trend has been established.
- The fungus’s reservoir, routes of infection, and reason for the lab’s rise in detections remain uncertain.
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