A novel fungus capable of infecting humans has been identified in China, sparking concerns among the medical community.
The pathogen, known as R. fluvialis, was found in two elderly men who later died, although it remains uncertain whether the fungus was a contributing factor in their deaths. The discovery was made by researchers at Nanjing Medical Center, who fear that others may have contracted the disease, a type of yeast.
According to the Daily Mail, the fungus was unearthed during a study of samples from tens of thousands of patients treated in Chinese hospitals between 2009 and 2019. The two infected men, who were not acquainted and lived nearly 500 miles apart, were both admitted to the hospital with weakened immune systems. One was on immunosuppressant drugs, while the other suffered from diabetes. Alarmingly, lab tests revealed that the new fungus was resistant to three commonly used front-line anti-fungal treatments: fluconazole, caspofungin, and amphotericin B.
In a separate experiment involving immunocompromised mice, R. fluvialis was found to mutate rapidly, forming 'hypervirulent mutants.' Furthermore, in a laboratory setting, the fungus mutated 21 times faster at human body temperature than at ambient temperature, suggesting a heightened risk of more dangerous strains emerging.
The researchers remain uncertain about how the patients contracted the infection and whether the fungus played a role in their deaths. However, it is known that fungal infections, such as C. auris, are often contracted in hospitals after patients are admitted for unrelated conditions. C. auris can infiltrate the bloodstream, causing sepsis, a potentially fatal condition in which the immune system overreacts to an infection.
Dr. David Denning, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Manchester, described the discovery as a 'remarkable find' that 'bodes badly for the future.' However, Dr. Matthew Fisher, a fungal diseases epidemiologist at Imperial College London, cautioned against viewing the fungus as a significant emerging threat. He suggested that the two patients were simply unfortunate to have been exposed to the fungus.
The first patient, a 61-year-old man, was admitted to a Nanjing hospital in 2013 with severe pancreatitis and kidney injury. Despite treatment with antifungals, he succumbed to multiple organ failure. The second patient, an 85-year-old man, was admitted to a Tianjin hospital in 2016 with pneumonia. He too was treated with antifungals but died from respiratory failure.
Over the decade-long study, a total of 27,100 strains of fungi were detected in hospital patients. Rare fungi accounted for only 1.7 percent of these strains, with R. fluvialis being the only new species identified.
The researchers also highlighted the potential risk of global warming in the emergence of new pathogens, as the fungus mutated more rapidly at higher temperatures. The study was published in the journal Nature Microbiology. This discovery underscores the need for continued vigilance in monitoring and understanding new pathogens, particularly in a world grappling with the effects of climate change and an increasingly globalized society.
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