The discovery of a drug-resistant super fungus in a remote area has unveiled the next pandemic threat, sparking concerns about a potential widespread disease outbreak, Dailymail reported.
Canadian researchers find drug-resistant fungus in remote regions of China, experts worried it could be the next pandemic threat
In a remote mountainous region of southwest China, Canadian researchers have detected a prevalent fungus species at an altitude of thousands of meters.
This fungus has evolved to withstand commonly used medications for combating infections, thereby raising alarm bells within the scientific community. Despite being far away from agricultural zones and human interaction, fungi can develop resistance through prolonged exposure to drugs or fungicides.
Lead investigator Jianping Xu, affiliated with McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, made a significant breakthrough when he uncovered a strain of Aspergillus fumigatus that had developed resistance to drugs in the Three Parallel Rivers region situated in the eastern Himalayas of southern China.
As a commonplace mold, this type of fungus releases airborne spores called conidia abundantly, leading humans to unknowingly inhale hundreds of them daily without experiencing illness.
Nonetheless, the emergence of a robust drug-resistant variant poses a significant threat to human health, warns Dr. Xu, whose expertise extends to pandemic preparedness.
The prevalence of fungal infections caused by Candida auris is surging in both the United States and Europe.
In the US alone, infections skyrocketed more than eightfold between 2017 and 2021, escalating from 171 reported cases per year to a staggering 1,420. Moreover, the mortality rate among individuals with compromised immune systems infected with C. auris ranges from 30 to 60 percent.
McMaster University’s expedition and alarming findings
As the Earth’s climate warms and fungicide use in agriculture increases, the risk of fungal diseases impacting humans is escalating.
McMaster University researchers conducted an expedition to the remote Three Parallel Rivers region in Yunnan, an extraordinary area spanning over 4.2 million acres, featuring majestic glacial peaks and vast mountains.
Their investigation involved the analysis of 331 strains of A. fumigatus, extracted from nearly 2,000 soil samples, according to findings published in the journal mSphere.
Startlingly, they discovered that approximately seven percent of the strains exhibited resistance to widely used antifungal treatments such as itraconazole and voriconazole.
Dr Xu said: ‘Seven percent may seem like only a small number, but these drug-resistant strains are capable of propagating very quickly and taking over local and regional populations of this species.
‘There is a need for increased surveillance of drug resistance in the environment across diverse geographic regions.’
