NUNZIUM

Pathogenic fungi are common fungi that cause disease in humans or other organisms. Approximately 300 fungi are pathogenic to humans, mainly to immune-compromised subjects such as HIV-infected or organ-transplanted people. Among pathogenic fungi, we find Candida, Aspergillus, and Cryptococcus, which can cause diseases such as vaginal candidiasis, fungal nail infection, aspergillosis and cryptococcus infection. Healthy people with a functional immune system usually don't have to worry about these diseases since symptoms disappear without treatment.

However, all that may be about to change: a new study by a team of scientists at Duke University School of Medicine and published on January 20 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that raised temperatures can cause a pathogenic fungus - known as Cryptococcus deneoformans - to turn its adaptative responses. Briefly, high temperatures increase its genetic changes, some of which may lead to higher heat resistance and more significant disease-causing potential. Specifically, higher heat induces changes in a specific region of its DNA called jumping genes, thus allowing the fungus to adapt to extreme environmental conditions (and, therefore, to increased resilience in general). The study suggests that high temperatures may contribute to the evolution of pathogenic traits in fungi during infection. Similar mechanisms in various fungi species may evolve faster than expected due to rising global temperatures.