Science Tech Daily Fungicides used in agriculture have been linked to an increase in resistance to antifungal drugs in both humans and animals. Fungal infections are on the rise, and two UC Davis infectious disease experts, Dr. George Thompson and Dr. Angel Desai, are sounding the alarm. In a recent commentary published in the New England Journal of Medicine, they warn that new agricultural pesticides designed to kill harmful fungi might be making it harder to treat dangerous fungal infections in people and animals.
Fungi already cause serious health and economic problems around the world. While antifungal agents are essential tools in both medicine and agriculture, overuse or poorly coordinated development of these compounds could lead to fungi evolving resistance. This means that life-saving treatments for humans might stop working.