WHO Names Most Harmful Fungi Amid Surge In Fungal Infection Cases

The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a rise in the cases of deadly fungal infections along with the quick spread of pathogens due to the climate crisis.

With this, the World Health Organization has published a list of priority pathogens that pose the greatest threats to public health, The Guardian reports.

WHO Releases A Report on Fungi Pathogens

Health-threatening fungal infections have been raising concern all across the globe as cases spiked during the pandemic.

According to the Wall Street Journal, fungal infection-related deaths tally up to 1.6 million per year as fungi adapt to temperature in ways that let them thrive in the human body.

Because of its worsening threat to individuals worldwide posed by the pathogens, WHO releases its first ever list containing the most dangerous fungi. It catalogued 19 organisms that experts find the greatest risk to the public.

The Guardian reports that out of the 19 fungi, four were identified as being of critical priority. These can get people really sick with lung damage, especially those with weak immune systems.

The WHO says that these fungal pathogens are growing more resistant to antifungal medications, and that they may affect extremely ill patients with underlying and terminal medical conditions.

"Currently, fungal infections receive less than 1.5% of all infectious disease research funding, while most treatment guidelines are informed by limited evidence and expert opinion," WHO says.

According to Interesting Engineering, with the data the WHO found through the reports, the organization wants the information to reach policymakers and public health researchers and providers.

"We need more data and evidence on fungal infections and antifungal resistance to inform and improve response to these priority fungal pathogens," says WHO director Dr. Haileyesus Getahun.

Furthermore, the organization is also trying to disseminate the findings to pharmaceutical industries and the members of the public who should know about these health risks.

WHO Reveals The Top Four Most Infectious Fungal Pathogens

WHO narrowed down the list of 19 fungi pathogens into four and found that the fungal species at the top of the list are most resistant to antifungal medication, leading to deaths eventually.

With this, the organization found that Cryptococcus neoformans, Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida auris, and Candida albicans were the leading causes of rising concern towards fungal infection.

Aspergillus fumigatus is a fungal pathogen that mainly affects the lungs, while Candida albicans is the most common cause of thrush.

Meanwhile, Cryptococcus neoformans is known to be the leading cause of death in people with HIV since it causes invasive infections in vulnerable patients.

While it was enlightening having the WHO reports unveil the critical dangers of fungi infection towards people, tackling invasive fungal diseases still requires increased funding to expand.

At the moment, the reports allowed the organization to move forward with developing new drugs, which, however, remain difficult.

Interesting Engineering writes that in the meantime, the report should inform people of the growing threat that fungi may present to the world and the treatment options that might be available.