Helping existing fungal diseases reach newer places isn’t the only effect of climate change. Warming temperatures can also help previously innocuous fungi evolve tolerance for heat and become deadlier. Researchers have long known that fungi are capable of this. In 2009, for example, researchers showed that a fungus—in this case a pathogen that infects hundreds of insect pests—could evolve to grow at 37 degrees Celsius, five degrees higher than its previous upper thermal limit, after just four months. More recently, researchers grew a dangerous human pathogen, Cryptococcus deneoformans , at both 37 degrees Celsius (similar to human body temperature) and 30 degrees Celsius in the lab. The higher temperature triggered a fivefold rise in mutations in the fungus’ DNA compared to the lower temperature. Rising global temperatures, the researchers speculate, could thus help some fungi rapidly adapt, increasing their ability to infect people.
This is the part that I had not previously considered. As fungi are forced to adapt to warmer temps, our toasty warm bodies become much more hospitable. And the speed with which they are able to adapt is concerning. Guess we gonna find out. I would point out that fungi are much more closely related to us than bacteria. Which accounts for why antifungals are nowhere near as effective, and come with much more severe side-effects, than general antibacterials do. Interesting times we are living in…
ETA
Have you seen The Last of Us yet? Cordyceps adapting to human body temperatures as a result of climate change is a major plot point.
Excellent mini-series, IMO
I have not, but it has come up a lot lately. May need to check it out.
saw it; its great! first time the film-adaptation of a game is actually much more than the sum of its parts.
“nonono, no, we dont have communism…” - “oh yes, we have! this is literally communism here…”
Look away kids!
Well, that looks uplifting. /s
Can’t watch that. I hated the ending of Last of Us so much that I just can’t.
With interesting side effects:
