CDC Releases 2026 Antimicrobial Resistance Threats Report: 19 Resistant Pathogens Cause an Estimated 9.7 Million Infections and 50,800 U.S. Deaths a Year
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the 2026 update to its Antimicrobial Resistance Threats Report on October 27. Based on 2023 data, the report estimates that 19 drug-resistant bacterial and fungal pathogens cause about 9.7 million infections and 50,800 deaths in the United States each year, with four pathogens, including Candida auris, ranked as urgent threats, the highest category.
The report sorts threats into urgent, serious and concerning tiers plus a watch list. The four urgent threats are Candida auris, carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales and drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae; 13 more pathogens are classed as serious and two as concerning. 'Antimicrobial resistance threatens modern medicine and puts millions of Americans at risk every year,' said CDC Director Erica Schwartz.
Compared with the 2019 report, drug-resistant Neisseria meningitidis was added as a serious threat, while Clostridioides difficile moved down from urgent to serious. Candida auris infections have risen roughly tenfold since 2019, with 4,523 U.S. cases reported in 2023. CDC cautioned that updated methods and data sources mean the new figures should not be directly compared with the 2019 report's 2.8 million infections and 35,000 deaths. The 2026 update is published in a new electronic format, and CDC's Antimicrobial Resistance Laboratory Network marks its tenth anniversary, having completed about 1.5 million tests.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 美国疾病控制与预防中心（CDC）位于亚特兰大的Edward R. Roybal园区总部（资料图）。James Gathany 摄，美国CDC，公共领域（PHIL 10693），经 Wikimedia Commons。 / The CDC Edward R. Roybal Campus headquarters in Atlanta (file photo). Photo by James Gathany, CDC, public domain (PHIL 10693), via Wikimedia Commons.
