Category: Fungal Infection
California could face another record-breaking year of Valley fever fungal infection
NBC News Drier summers and wetter winters are expanding the range of the fungus. The same conditions drive increasingly intense wildfires. Brynn Carrigan’s headaches started in April 2024. Within a couple of weeks, she was debilitated. Her vomiting exacerbated the excruciating pain in her skull. She spent nearly every hour in bed with the covers […]
May 20, 2025
Fungus Presents a Growing Threat to Health and Crops as Globe Warms
Discover Magazine 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 […]
May 6, 2025
Once-rare fungal diseases are killing millions in an unprepared world
Dallas Morning News An estimated 6.5 million people develop invasive fungal infections each year. When most people think of dangerous infections, they picture bacteria or viruses. But for infectious disease specialists like Peter Chin-Hong, one of the most insidious threats lurking in hospitals and clinics today is fungal. Chin-Hong’s case list is long: a healthy 29-year-old marathon […]
Apr 9, 2025
Fungal diseases ‘growing increasingly resistant to treatment,’ WHO says
CBC Some fungal diseases in humans no longer respond to medicines, which increases the risk of severe illness and death as well disease spread, according to a new report. On Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) published what it calls its first-ever report on the lack of tests and treatments for fungal infections. Yeasts, moulds and mushrooms are […]
Apr 1, 2025
Fungus labeled ‘urgent threat’ by CDC is spreading rapidly, hospital study finds
The Hill New cases of a dangerous, drug-resistant fungus have been identified in at least two states’ hospital systems. Candida auris, also called C. auris, was first identified in the U.S. in 2016. Since then, the number of cases have increased every year, jumping substantially in 2023 (the last year of data available from the Centers […]
Mar 25, 2025
Brain-eating fungus causes the immune system to attack neurons
earth.com Infections often conjure images of bacteria or viruses, but certain fungi can also take their toll on us. They can hide in unsuspecting corners of the environment and interact with living organisms in ways that raise many questions. One particular fungus, Beauveria bassiana, has captured attention because of its interactions with insects. Its spores settle […]
Mar 5, 2025
A fungus sickened more than 150 Michigan workers. The CDC still isn’t sure why it happened
Lansing Journal A common soil fungus sickened more than 150 Michigan paper mill workers, and killed one, in what health officials called the largest such outbreak in U.S. history, but the exact cause remains elusive, they said this week. The Centers for Disease Control said a 2022-23 outbreak of blastomycosis at Escanaba’s Billerud Paper infected […]
Jan 2, 2025
Deadly bat disease spreads across California, raising wildlife concerns
KRCR The fungus responsible for white-nose syndrome, a lethal disease that has decimated bat populations across North America, has been detected in several California counties. White-nose syndrome, caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, is particularly deadly to hibernating bats such as the little brown myotis, Yuma myotis and cave myotis. The disease damages bats’ wing membranes […]
Oct 29, 2024
Valley fever is a growing risk in Central California; few visitors ever get a warning
Los Angeles Times Some experts warn that the fungus that causes valley fever is growing increasingly resistant to drugs — a phenomenon they say is due to the spraying of antifungal agents on area crops. In 2001, fewer than 1,500 Californians were diagnosed with valley fever. Last year, that number rose to more than 9,000. […]
Oct 2, 2024
BARDA awards $29 million to Basilea Pharmaceutica for first-in-class anti-fungal treatments
BARDA BARDA awarded an initial $29 million under an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) to Basilea Pharmaceutica International Ltd. Allschwil, to develop two anti-fungal therapeutics, Fosmanogepix and BAL2062, both with the potential to treat drug-resistant invasive fungal infections. Additional funding could be awarded by BARDA if contract options are exercised. Under the terms of the OTA […]
Sep 25, 2024