"As fungi are exposed to more consistent elevated temperatures, there’s a real possibility that certain fungi that were previously harmless suddenly become potential pathogens," Peter Pappas, an infections-disease specialist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said, as quoted by the newspaper.
A study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States in January, cited in the report, shows that higher temperatures may facilitate some disease-causing fungi to evolve faster, enabling their survival.
According to the report, some scientists have used DNA sequencing to discover that the DNA sequences of certain fungi can move from one location on the genome to another, which can result in mutations and alter gene expression — which may allow fungi to adapt to stressors, including heat.
Scientists have also found that some potentially-deadly fungi normally found in soil have significantly expanded their geographical range in the US since the 1950s, which could have been encouraged by climate change-induced warming temperatures, the report said.
The World Health Organization has identified Cryptococccus, Coccidioides, Histoplasma, and Candida auris as some of the most threatening pathogens to humans.
In 2021, more than 7,000 people died in the United States from fungal infections, a number that has increased exponentially since the 1970s, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Currently, there are few effective medications to treat these infections.