Climate change has the potential to make fungi even more hazardous to our health, according to research at Duke. The research of MGM faculty Asiya Gusa, PhD, focuses on how warming temperatures affect fungal diseases, particularly Cryptococcus. Her team found that higher temperatures increase the fungus’s mutation rate, helping it survive.
With more drug-resistant fungi emerging because of climate change and aging populations, Gusa emphasizes the urgent need for new antifungal treatments to prevent a potential fungal pandemic.
Click here to view the "Duke Today" article and watch the video on "Fungal Infections on the Rise".