Climate warming contributes to an increase in the incidence of fungal infections. And although the scenario from The Last of Us does not threaten us, fungal spores can actually pose a big threat to us.
Fungal spores cause respiratory diseases, skin diseases and allergic reactions in humans. So far, they have not posed much of a threat, as the correct human body temperature, as well as the protective capabilities of the immune system, meant that they did not have good conditions for development.
In people with a strong immune system, following a balanced and healthy diet, fungal spores did not have a chance to adapt, so they did not pose a threat. However, they were dangerous for the weakened, often ill, with weak immunity, as well as for those who used the so-called. The Western diet is full of sugar and carbohydrates. Sugar promotes the reproduction of fungi and very often, in order to cure recurring fungal diseases, you have to completely eliminate it from your diet.
Global warming raises the risk of fungal infections
The new study, however, brings some disturbing information. Scientists from the Duke University School of Medicine have shown that a warming climate can improve the adaptability of fungi and cause fungi that have not posed a serious threat to us until now (for example, Candida, Aspergillus or Cryptococcus) can cause infections. Moreover, in the spores of some fungi (for example, Cryptococcus), an increase in temperature promotes genetic mutations, making them more pathogenic.
“Rising global temperatures could affect the evolution of fungi in an unpredictable direction,” Dr. Arturo Casadevall, head of the department of molecular microbiology and immunology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, said in a press release.
Unfortunately, these changes are already quite noticeable. Data from the California Office of Environmental Health Risk Assessment show that over the past 20 years, the number of infections caused by coccidioidomycosis has increased fivefold. This is a disease that is mainly diagnosed in California and Arizona in the San Joaquin Valley region. mushroom spores coccidioids they are present in the soil and released into the atmosphere as a result of weather conditions and strong winds. When people inhale them, symptoms of the infection appear, mainly affecting the respiratory system, such as coughing and shortness of breath, as well as night sweats or high fever. In 1% of cases, spores can spread beyond the lungs, affecting the spinal cord or brain.
Studies show that in the next 80 years, until the year 2100, the fungus will grow. coccidioids as a result of climate change, it may significantly increase its range and spread to the northern United States.
“Climate change is causing more extreme weather, so there are conditions where the soil becomes extremely dry. [Wtedy] the wind lifts the soil, spreading more fungal spores,” said Dr. Afif El-Hassan, an asthma pediatrician at Kaiser Permanente San Juan Capistrano in southern California and a spokesman for the American Lung Association. Thus, the number of cases of fungal infections caused by climate warming may continue to rise.
Sources:
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Health for every day
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Science Magazine
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Office of Environmental Health Risk Assessment (OEHCCA)
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