Washington state faces first outbreak of a deadly fungal infection that's on the rise in the US

Four people in Washington state have tested positive this month for a rare fungal infection that can be deadly.

It's the state's first known outbreak of the fungus, called Candida auris, according to Seattle and King County health officials, though one locally acquired case was detected there in July.

The cluster comes as Candida auris continues to spread in the U.S.: Case numbers have risen every year since 2016.

The pathogen is resistant to some common antifungal medications, and it tends to infect people with weakened immune systems. It's often detected among hospital patients who use catheters, breathing tubes or feeding tubes.

All four people in Washington who tested positive were patients at Kindred Hospital Seattle First Hill, a long-term acute care hospital. None have died, the public health department for Seattle and King County told NBC News.

The department announced Tuesday that it was notified of the first case on Jan. 10. The patient had recently been admitted to Kindred Hospital and was tested for Candida auris through a routine screening program that aims to identify infections before symptoms develop. 

Read the full story on NBCNews.com here.