CDC Antimicrobial Resistance Report: Drug-Resistant Germs Cause About 51,000 U.S. Deaths a Year
The CDC antimicrobial resistance report released on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, estimates that drug-resistant bacteria and fungi cause about 9.7 million infections and 50,800 deaths in the United States each year. The 2026 Antimicrobial Resistance (AR) Threats Report, based on 2023 data, names 19 pathogens as threats to public health, flags a roughly tenfold rise in infections from the fungus Candida auris since 2019, and points to infection prevention and careful antibiotic use as strategies that have measurably worked.
Here is what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found, how to interpret the numbers, and what the findings mean for everyday health.
Key Takeaways
- Scale: About 9.7 million drug-resistant infections and 50,800 deaths per year in the U.S., based on 2023 data.
- Hospitals: Healthcare-associated resistant infections accounted for more than 42,000 deaths and roughly $12 billion in costs in 2023.
- Fastest-growing concern: Candida auris infections reached 4,523 in 2023, about 10 times the 2019 level.
- A bright spot: C. difficile was downgraded from “urgent” to “serious” after infection-control and antibiotic-stewardship gains.
- Don’t over-compare: CDC cautions that the totals are not directly comparable with its 2019 report because data sources and methods changed.
What the CDC Antimicrobial Resistance Report Found
Verified figures
Antimicrobial resistance happens when germs evolve to survive the drugs designed to kill them, making infections harder—and sometimes impossible—to treat. According to reporting on the CDC release by CIDRAP and Healio, the report’s main numbers are:
| Measure (2023 data) | CDC estimate |
|---|---|
| Drug-resistant infections per year | ~9.7 million |
| Deaths per year | ~50,800 |
| Deaths from healthcare-associated resistant infections | More than 42,000 |
| Candida auris infections | 4,523 (about 10x 2019) |
| Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) | 14,878 cases; ~1,252 attributable deaths |
| C. difficile among hospitalized patients | 412,504 cases; more than 11,000 deaths |
The 19 threats, by level
The CDC sorts pathogens by how dangerous and hard to treat they are. As listed by Becker’s Hospital Review:
- Urgent (4): Candida auris; carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter; carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales; drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
- Serious (13): Clostridioides difficile; drug-resistant Campylobacter; drug-resistant Candida; drug-resistant tuberculosis; drug-resistant Neisseria meningitidis (newly added); drug-resistant nontyphoidal Salmonella; drug-resistant Salmonella Typhi; drug-resistant Shigella; drug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae; extended-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacterales; MRSA; multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa; vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus.
- Concerning (2): clindamycin-resistant group B Streptococcus; drug-resistant group A Streptococcus.
CIDRAP also reported that a separate “watch list” includes macrolide-resistant whooping cough (Bordetella pertussis) and drug-resistant dermatophytes, the fungi behind ringworm and athlete’s foot.
Notable trends
- Candida auris: This fungus spreads in healthcare settings and can resist multiple antifungal drug classes. Its roughly tenfold rise since 2019 is among the report’s most striking findings.
- CRE: About two-thirds of 2023 CRE cases began outside the hospital, CIDRAP reported, though some patients may have had recent healthcare contact.
- C. difficile: Rates fell from 2018 to 2020 and held steady in healthcare settings through 2023. CDC credits better infection control and more careful antibiotic use.
- N. meningitidis: Estimated ciprofloxacin-resistant cases more than doubled from 2019 to 2023, and penicillin-resistant cases tripled, according to CIDRAP.
How Strong Is the Evidence?
The report is a national surveillance estimate, not a clinical trial. It combines laboratory, hospital and other data sources to model the burden of disease. That makes it the most authoritative U.S. snapshot available, but it comes with limits:
- Methods changed. The 2019 report estimated about 2.8 million resistant infections and 35,000 deaths. The CDC’s senior science advisor Dawn Sievert, Ph.D., told Healio that the agency advises against comparing the new totals directly with those figures, because surveillance now captures more infection types—for example, noninvasive strep infections and non-hospitalized C. diff cases.
- Some increases are real. Sievert also noted the methodology change “doesn’t mean that we don’t see pathogens going up,” pointing to pathogens such as C. auris.
- Data lag. The findings reflect 2023, so current conditions may differ.
What Officials and Experts Said
Agency statement: CDC Director Erica Schwartz, M.D., said antimicrobial resistance “threatens modern medicine,” according to Healio. Expert commentary: Infectious Diseases Society of America President Wendy Armstrong, M.D., called the numbers alarming, CIDRAP reported, while Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America board president Lisa Maragakis, M.D., said prevention and stewardship efforts work. Tom Chiller, M.D., former chief of CDC’s Mycotic Diseases Branch, called for more antifungal drug development and expanded screening.
Practical Takeaways for Readers
The report is aimed largely at hospitals and policymakers, but CDC’s long-standing public guidance on antimicrobial resistance points to steps individuals can discuss with their clinicians and practice day to day:
- Use antibiotics only when prescribed, take them exactly as directed, and don’t share or save leftovers. Antibiotics do not treat viral illnesses such as colds or flu.
- Keep hands clean, especially in and around healthcare settings, and don’t hesitate to ask care providers whether they’ve cleaned their hands.
- Stay up to date on recommended vaccines, which prevent infections that might otherwise require antibiotics.
- Practice safe food handling, since several listed threats (Salmonella, Campylobacter, Shigella) can spread through food and water.
- Get tested and treated for sexually transmitted infections as recommended, given that drug-resistant gonorrhea is an urgent threat.
- Speak up during a hospital stay about catheters, IV lines and signs of infection.
This article does not provide personal medical advice. Anyone with questions about an infection, an antibiotic prescription or their individual risk should consult a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified healthcare professional.
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Sources
- CDC — Antimicrobial Resistance Threats Report
- CIDRAP — CDC report shows rise in drug-resistant infections, deaths in US
- Healio — Millions at risk for drug-resistant infections, CDC says
- Becker’s Hospital Review — 19 drug-resistant pathogens threatening US health
- CDC — Antimicrobial Resistance Facts and Stats
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