Why scientists are nervous about fungi

""Look at, for instance, Candida auris [a type of yeast that can cause severe infections and is often drug-resistant] -- you need very, very strict infection control measures in hospitals, you need good diagnostics, good infection control, you have to follow-up with patients and that's just not available in these lower-middle-income countries.""

""People will die, and you won't know they have a fungal infection. You wouldn't know if it was resistant.""

""Fungicides are used to protect plants against fungal disease. Everything - watermelons, maize, wheat, flowers - use lots of fungicides. If we didn't use the fungicides, you'd probably have a yield loss maybe of 30% or 40%.""

""The problem is that the fungicides are quite similar to the drugs we give to patients. So the fungus becomes resistant to the fungicide and, at the same time, our medical...""

Drug-resistant fungi are emerging as a serious medical challenge, particularly in lower-income countries where infection control measures are inadequate. Candida auris, a drug-resistant yeast, exemplifies this issue, as strict infection control and diagnostics are often lacking. Paul Verweij, a professor of clinical mycology, emphasizes the urgency of addressing this 'silence surge' in drug-resistant fungi. He collaborates with global scientists to advocate for action against this growing threat, which is exacerbated by the use of fungicides in agriculture that contribute to resistance.

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