Medical researchers have found evidence that fungi could become more dangerous to humans as the planet warms. Through evolution to tolerate warmer environments and treatment resistance, infections of humans are already on the rise.
The research, published in Nature Microbiology, describes the evolution of a novel type of fungi to infect humans. While fungal infections have not been considered much of a threat to humans for most of modern history, that has been changing with doctors reporting increases in rare types of fungal infections.
As fungi evolve to grow in warmer environments they could adapt and reach a point where the human body is an acceptable environment for growth. This potential evolutionary path has led many infectious disease experts to predict a rise in human fungal infections.
To test this theory, the team of researchers looked for fungal infections in 96 hospitals throughout China from 2009 to 2019. During this, they discovered thousands of fungal strains including one which had not been documented infecting humans before. This strain, Rhodosporidiobolus fluvialis, also demonstrated resistance to two of the most common treatments used to treat fungal infections.
Upon this discovery, the team injected blood containing the same fungus into mice with weak immune systems. The fungus not only thrived within the mice, but it also mutated into a more aggressive form of itself. Further testing included exposing the fungus to temperatures as high as 37°C where it developed resistance to numerous antifungal agents.
The findings bolster the theories that a warming planet could cause fungi to become more dangerous to humans.