Effects of climate change on fungal infections
Samantha Williams, Mitsuru Toda, Tom Chiller, Joan Brunkard, Anastasia P. Litvintseva
Abstract
Climate change significantly impacts atmospheric, ecological, agricultural, and societal systems.Documented increases in global temperature, extreme precipitation, and the frequency and intensity of severe weather events have been linked to a variety of adverse health outcomes, and conditions are expected to worsen [1].Fungi are particularly susceptible to the effects of climate change because the highest diversity and biomass of fungi are found in the top layer of soil, at the forefront of environmental changes.Fungal diseases cause a wide spectrum of illness, ranging from mild skin and mucosal infections to severe respiratory illness and lifethreatening disseminated disease.Evidence suggests that evolving weather patterns have contributed to expanded geographic ranges of endemic fungi, emergence of new pathogens, and increased antifungal resistance [2,3].This review presents an introduction to and discussion of some of the most important potential climate-related mechanisms associated with the proliferation of pathogenic fungi and associated fungal diseases (Fig 1) that could impact human and animal health.