Climate change could fuel the spread of a fungus that can sicken and even kill people, as well as threaten crops, according to a study posted on the preprint server Research Square.
Fungal infections already kill about 1.5 million a year. There are now few effective antifungal agents available, with many fungi developing resistance to them. One particular mold-like fungus called Aspergillus is responsible for most such deaths in the Northern Hemisphere. Spreading Fungi Species
The authors studied how three types of Aspergillus could spread across the planet as warming increases. A. fumigatus lives in temperate areas and already has a presence in Europe and North America. It is most closely associated with humans. A. flavus and A. niger both do better in hotter conditions, and are more closely tied to causing plant disease. A. flavus is now most prevalent in India and Pakistan, while A. niger is now most common in the Southern Hemisphere.