A new strain of a deadly and drug-resistant yeast infection is sweeping the globe, health officials have warned.

There have been reports from healthcare facilities worldwide claiming a type of fungus called Candida auris is responsible for severe and fatal infections.

Candida auris in the same family of bacteria that causes thrush, but while thrush infections occur in the genitals and mouth, Candida auris gets into the urinary and respiratory tract.

This means the yeast can enter the bloodstream and spread throughout the body, causing serious invasive infections, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says.

Both the CDC and the Public Health England issued warnings to hospitals this week to be vigilant for the strain – which is difficult to identify with standard laboratory methods.

The fungus has also been been identified in South Korea, India, South Africa, Kuwait, Colombia, Venezuela, Pakistan. 

Based on information from a limited number of patients, 60 per cent of people with the infection have died, the CDC warned.

However, many of these people had other serious illnesses that also increased their risk of an early death. 

In the UK, eight patients were identified in 2013, followed by an outbreak affecting 40 patients in 2015.

However, with such limited reports it is not possible to calculate the infection's prevalence.

Worryingly, the fungus is difficult to control, and spreads easily through hospital settings, where patients may have compromised immune systems or are battling other conditions, PHE warned.

The strain does not to respond to the majority of the common antifungal drugs.

It may also be mistaken for milder form of yeast infections - leaving patients vulnerable.

PHE and CDC sent out guidance on how healthcare facilities should test for infections as well as manage and prevent them.

Early evidence suggests it might spread through contact with contaminated environmental surfaces or equipment, or from person to person - but more research is needed on this.

For now, it is recommended that infected patients have their own rooms, which are cleaned with fungus-targeting disinfectant every day.