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From the editorial in Nature: Around 3.8 million people die each year of infections caused by C. auris and other fungi. Annual deaths caused by fungal infectio
by pmags 1y ago
From the editorial in Nature:
Around 3.8 million people die each year of infections caused by C. auris and other fungi. Annual deaths caused by fungal infections have nearly doubled in the past decade.
Pathogenic fungi pose unique challenges, and overcoming them will require innovative approaches to both science and policy. Yet, despite the growing global threat posed by drug-resistant fungi, such infections rarely loom large in discussions of antimicrobial resistance. Two World Health Organization (WHO) reports published this month (see go.nature.com/3rniybw) — the organization’s first analyses of tests and treatments for fungal infections — highlight the result of that neglect.
- kinow 1y agoLooks like this could affect how we grow crops, maybe pish for more different techniques to avoid pesticides, and also lead to new life habits. I hope WHO or some group of researchers somewhere will start studying how to tackle these fungi infections. Given the current situation of global conflicts, political situation, and economy around the world, if these infections become more widespread and resistent if could be devastating.
- Loughla 1y agoPesticides have nothing to do with this. Staple crops in the United States essentially do not use fungicides anymore. GM crops have negated that need. Edit: what did I say that was incorrect?
- pmags 1y agon.b. Down votes are not mine Azoles (and other antifungals) are indeed still used in the US and there is documented azole resistance in important opportunistic fungal pathogens such as Aspergillus in the US: • Celia-Sanchez BN, Mangum B, Gómez Londoño LF, Wang C, Shuman B, Brewer MT, Momany M. Pan-azole- and multi-fungicide-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus is widespread in the United States. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2024 Apr 17;90(4):e0178223. doi: 10.1128/aem.01782-23. Epub 2024 Apr 1. PMID: 38557086; PMCID: PMC11022549. -- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11022549/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11022549/ Table 1 in this paper gives estimated azole use in various countries. US is lower than many European nations but still nowhere near zero. • Burks C, Darby A, Gómez Londoño L, Momany M, Brewer MT. Azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus in the environment: Identifying key reservoirs and hotspots of antifungal resistance. PLoS Pathog. 2021 Jul 29;17(7):e1009711. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009711. PMID: 34324607; PMCID: PMC8321103. -- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8321103/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8321103/
- zdragnar 1y agoThe GP mentions "staple crops". In the US, azoles are used more on corn, wheat and soybean seeds than they are the actual crops themselves. Rice, on the other hand, and others get direct applications to the crops. Presumably, applying it to the seeds going into storage is safer than applying in the open environment, but it's probably redundant since the Google claims azole use in the US is increasing.
- Loughla 1y agoCorrect. There is a difference between seed treatment and broadcast treatment of crops.