Scientists have a new theory about the origins of a dangerous, drug-resistant fungus that can strike the sickest patients in hospitals and other facilities that provide long-term care: global warming.
But C. auris didn't spread like a virus would, radiating out from one location. Instead, it popped up simultaneously in different parts of the world, including India, South Africa and South America.
That's odd for fungi, which generally like ambient, cooler temperatures, like a cool forest floor where you might find a toadstool. Indeed, most fungal infections in people are found on the coolest parts of the human body, including the feet and in nail beds. The fungus tends to stay on the skin and doesn't cause an internal infection because it can't survive the warmer temperatures inside the body, where it is around 98 degrees Fahrenheit.
"When we see patients hospitalized with a fungal infection, our concern for that patient goes up much higher. Fungus infections for patients who are really sick tells you that something has gone very wrong in their immune systems," Esper, who was not involved with the new research, said."We're already playing catch-up because it already has resistance to some of the most common medications that we have," Esper said."We're limited in what we can use to treat it.
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