Fungal pathogens are severely dangerous because not only are funguses everywhere and are highly infectious, but we also have very little defense against them, even pharmaceutically. Now a new study is looking at the potential of fungal infections in a warming climate and it’s not good.
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00:00Fungal pathogens are severely dangerous because not only are funguses everywhere and they
00:08are highly infectious, but we also have very little defense against them, even pharmaceutically.
00:13Now a new study is looking at the potential of fungal infections in a warming climate
00:17and it's not good.
00:19Fungal pathogens are already big killers globally, causing the deaths of at least 3.75 million
00:24people every year.
00:26However, despite most fungi preferring cooler environments, as the planet warms and they
00:30adapt, that could change.
00:31With the researchers writing, temperature-dependent mutagenesis can enable the development of
00:36pan-drug resistance and hypervirulence in fungi and support the idea that global warming
00:41can promote the evolution of new fungal pathogens.
00:44And in fact, scientists have recently already identified a fungus that has mutated to adapt
00:49to a warming world.
00:50It's called Candida auris and it can already survive in higher temperatures.
00:54And as part of this study, the researchers have now identified an entirely new group
00:58of fungi that are already infecting humans, called Rhodospora diabolis.
01:02With the study's authors warning that the danger and importance of new fungal pathogens
01:06is believed to be seriously underestimated.