dangerous fungal infections It is risingand a growing body of research suggests higher temperatures may be to blame. From the report: The average human body temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, too long for most fungi to thrive, infectious disease experts say. However, as temperatures rise globally, research suggests that some fungi may have adapted to withstand more heat stress, including conditions within the human body. Studies have also shown that climate change may be creating conditions that expand the geographic range of some disease-causing fungi.
“As fungi are exposed to more consistent high temperatures, it becomes a reality that certain previously harmless fungi can suddenly become potential pathogens,” said Peter Pappas, an infectious disease expert at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The number of deaths from fungal infections is on the rise, according to public health experts, partly because the number of people with weakened immune systems, making them more susceptible to serious fungal diseases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 7,000 people will die from fungal infections in 2021, and hundreds died each year around 1970.
