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WEDNESDAY, July 24, 2019 (HealthDay News) – New life-threatening fungal infections may soon threaten humanity, thanks to climate change, a new report says.
In general, humans are incredibly resistant to fungal infections because these organisms do not grow hot, said Dr. Arturo Casadevall, lead author, chairman of the board of molecular microbiology and immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore .
But climate change may increase the tolerance of fungi to higher temperatures, making them more likely to infect humans, Casadevall and his colleagues say.
Researchers point to an emerging fungal pathogen Candida auris, like the canary in the coal mine.
"We think it's a harbinger of things to come," Casadevall said of the mushroom.
C. auris first appeared as an infection in humans in 2009, with genetically different strains making people sick on three continents simultaneously, researchers said.
"What could be common in Venezuela, South Africa and India at the same time? These are regions, populations, different climates, name it" said Casadevall.
More than 30% of people with invasion C. auris infections die, according to US centers for control and prevention of diseases. There have been 685 confirmed cases and 30 probable cases in the United States since 2016.
Researchers argue that the climate is warming, C. auris it's suited to the point that it can now flourish in humans.
"We have warm blood and our temperatures are very effective at preventing most fungi from entering," Casadevall said. "Most fungi can not reproduce at the temperature of our body – about 95% of them can not – just heating gives you tremendous protection."
That's why human fungal infections have so far been limited to irritants such as athlete's foot, while plant life and cold-blooded creatures are susceptible to fungi that can harm and kill, Casadevall said. .
However, research has shown that fungi can quickly get used to warmer temperatures.
"The mushrooms can adapt to the temperature quite easily," Casadevall said. "If you put a fungus into the lab and slowly raise the temperature, it's able to live and reproduce at higher temperatures."
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