Implications of climate change in development of fungal infections

Content Editor: Dr Swathi Shenoy

July 29, 2024 at 2:30:00 PM

Communicable diseases, Fungal infections, Climate change

Fungi are known to cause fewer infections within human bodies due to their inability to survive at high temperatures.
However, over the past decade, fungal infections have drastically increased, and new fungal pathogens have emerged.
A study conducted in China in 96 hospitals between 2009 and 2019 found that the cause of this increase was the rise in the global temperature, which facilitates fungi's adaptation, survival, and mutation at higher temperatures.
The findings are bothersome:

A new fungal pathogen, Rhodosporidiobolus fluvialis, was identified with resistance to 2 commonly used antifungals.
When injected into mice, the cells incubated at 37°C mutated at a higher rate (21 times higher) than the ones incubated at 21°C, thus developing resistance to additional drugs.

The study concludes that climate change may increase the risk of fungal infections, which are more aggressive and less susceptible to drugs.