Deadly fungal infections surge as 19 strains ‘pose threat to humanity’, WHO warns for first time
A HOST of deadly fungal infections are on the rise, posing a huge threat to humanity, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned.
Since the Covid pandemic, experts have noticed an increase in deadly fungal diseases among hospitalised patients.
Many fungal pathogens, including candida which causes common infections like vaginal thrush, are becoming increasingly resistant to treatment.
Despite this, fungal infections receive very little attention and research resources.
As it stands, there are only four classes of antifungal medicines available and very few in development.
In its first ever report on the to watch, the World Health organisation () said antifungal resistance has "major implications" for human health.
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"It generally leads to prolonged therapy and hospital stays, and an increased need for expensive and often highly toxic secondline antifungal medicines," the report explained.
Professor Jon Cohen of infectious diseases at Brighton & Sussex Medical School, said that fungal infections are "less common than other types of infection but can cause extremely serious disease or death."
The WHO estimate that 1.7 million people die each year as a result of fungal disease.
In most healthy people the immune system can fight off the infection, but it can be life threatening in already ill people, or immunocompromised individuals.
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To find out which are the most concerning, a team of 30 researchers, analysed 6,000 scientific papers and sought advice from more than 400 international fungus experts.
Experts categorised 19 fungi based on on public health impact and risk of resistance to antifungal drugs.
Of the 19 fungi included, four were identified as being of “critical” priority.
These include candida auris, enters the blood causing deadly infections.
If left untreated it can become a life-threatening disease which kills around 29 per cent to 53 per cent of people it infects.
What is antimicrobial resistance?
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health and development threat.
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.
As a result of drug resistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines become ineffective and infections become increasingly difficult or impossible to treat.
Source: WHO
Aspergillus fumigatus, another fungi on the critical priority, which is found in the soil and mainly affects the lungs and in some cases can also infect the brain.
For those who catch a drug resistant version of the infection the morality rate is 47 to 88 per cent.
Cyptococcus neoformans, is another "critical" fungi which is most often found in the soil or decaying wood.
It initially affects the lungs but can spread to the brain causing death and serious disability.
Most patients are immunocompromised and the leading risk factor is HIV infection.
For those with HIV, the death rate is 41 to 61 per cent.
The final pathogen in the critical risk category is candida albicans, which is often found in hospitals and can be hard to medicate or clean away.
It is a common infection, which causes vaginal and mouth thrush.
In most cases it is easily treatable and causes no long-term health conditions.
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However, in some cases in can multiply and infect surrounding tissue which can lead to infections of the heart, central nervous system, eyes, bones and internal organs.
This version of the infection is called invasive candidiasis and has an overall mortality ranging from 20 per cent to 50 per cent.