Deadly fungal infections spreading like 'silent pandemic'

The antibiotic-resistant infections can kill nearly 40 million people by 2050, as per a new study published in The Lancet.

According to the researchers, drug-resistant infections led to the death of more than one million people every year between 1900 and 2021.

According to the report, this number can go up to nearly two million by 2050, which means that around 40 million people will apparently die in more than 25 years due to these infections.

The researchers believe that the lives of a third of people can be saved if they get wider access to better treatment and appropriate antibiotics.

Bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR) takes place when the bacteria evolves and becomes drug-resistant, which makes common diseases like pneumonia, UTIs, and diarrhoea lethal.

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This adaptation to exist beyond medicine is leading to a "silent pandemic," which needs to be urgently addressed, stated the researchers.

"The threat of fungal pathogens and antifungal resistance, even though it is a growing global issue, is being left out of the debate," said Norman van Rhijn, a molecular biologist from the University of Manchester in the UK.
Researchers appeal govt and pharmaceutical firms to 'look beyond just bacteria'

The international team of scientists and van Rhijn have appealed to the pharmaceutical industry and governments to "look beyond just bacteria."

They warned that if some action is not taken, the fungal infections can infect 6.5 million people and kill 3.8 million people annually.

"The disproportionate focus on bacteria is concerning because many drug resistance problems over the past decades were the result of invasive fungal diseases, which are largely under-recognized by the community and governments alike," wrote van Rhijn, in the report.

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"To treat deep or invasive fungal infections, only four systemic antifungal classes are available and resistance is now the rule rather than the exception for those currently available classes," stated the authors.

In the last few decades, new antifungals have emerged, however, the race between pathogens and medicine is now being sped up.

"Even before [these drugs] reach the market after years of development and clinical trials, fungicides with similar modes of action are developed by the agrochemical industry, resulting in cross-resistance for critical priority pathogens," explained the researchers.

"Antifungal protection is required for food security. The question is, how do we balance food security with the ability to treat current and future resistant fungal pathogens?," they said.