Amid the rising temperatures across the globe, scientists are warning of a killer fungus that could spread through parts of Europe, Asia, and the Americas and cause serious lung problems.
Aspergillus, a type of fungus that thrives in warm, damp climates, has the potential to infect millions due to rising temperatures, the study shows.
A recent study co-authored by Norman van Rhijn and published on Research Square shows that the changing climate creates the perfect environment for fungi like Aspergillus to spread. Norman van Rhijn has cautioned that we are nearing a critical juncture where the proliferation of fungal pathogens could become the standard.
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“Fungal infections will be a factor in millions of deaths worldwide each year. We’re talking about hundreds of thousands of lives and continental shifts in species distributions. In 50 years, where things grow and what you get infected by are going to be completely different,” Van Rhijn told the Financial Times.
The study found that this fungus grows well in hot environments like compost, which helps explain how it can survive in the human body’s warm internal temperature of 37°C. Its tough nature also allows it to live in extreme places, including inside the Chernobyl nuclear reactors.
The study highlighted that Aspergillus fumigatus could spread across an additional 77 per cent of territory by the year 2100 as a result of the world’s heavy use of fossil fuels. As a result, potentially nine million people in Europe could be exposed to the infection.
“It’s lifestyle in the natural environment may have provided Aspergillus fumigatus with the fitness advantage needed to colonise human lungs,” said Professor Elaine Bignell, co-director at the MRC Centre for Medical Mycology at Exeter University.
