
Killer fungus forecast to spread to UK as climate changes
A killer fungus that infects millions of people a year in hotter climes may soon spread through Europe and into the UK as the world warms further, according to a new study on how climate change spreads disease.
The aspergillus species - which can cause deadly human brain infections, spoil livestock and render crops unsafe to eat - is forecast to spread northwards from Africa and South America into Europe and Asia.
How far it spreads will depend on how quickly the world phases out fossil fuels and other drivers of climate change, the paper said, while slow action will put more people at risk.
Global warming is also raising the risk of the spread of other diseases, such as those spread by mosquitoes like malaria and dengue.
Fungi are a growing concern but largely unexplored.
They live in the air, soil and inside our bodies and spread through spores in the air we breathe - but more than 90% are estimated still to be unknown to science.
Lead author of the new research, Norman van Rhijn from Manchester University, told Sky News they are "extremely difficult" to treat.
Few antifungal medicines exist, while the fungi themselves are increasingly drug-resistant and hard to spot and diagnose.
Fungi are also essential to a healthy ecosystem, decomposing organic matter and helping to suck up climate-heating carbon dioxide.
1:55
'Scary' reality
Viewers of the TV show The Last of Us will be familiar with the threat: the post-apocalyptic drama depicts a brain-altering fungus that has wiped out much of society.
But "reality is already scary enough", Dr Van Rhijn told Sky News presenter Leah Boleto.
Infections from all fungi already cause 2.5 million deaths globally each year.
Healthy immune systems kick out the spores, but vulnerable people can end up contracting infections like invasive aspergillosis, which spreads rapidly from the lungs to other parts of the body like the brain, and currently kills 1.8m people a year globally.
"Most fungi live in the environment," said Dr Van Rhijn. "Because that environment is rapidly changing, we will definitely see different kinds of diseases and infections popping up over the next 50 years or so."
The scientists looked at the existing habitats suitable for certain types of fungi to grow. They then mapped how those habitats might move or spread under different rates of global warming.
In a worst-case scenario, the spread of Aspergillus flavus could increase by about 16%, putting 1 million more people at risk of infection in Europe, damaging the respiratory system, as well as various crops.
It is highly virulent, causes severe infections and is resistant to many antifungals available.
And another in the same family, Aspergillus fumigatus, could spread by a further 77%, potentially exposing nine million people in Europe, the research suggested.
However, it also found temperatures in Africa could become so high that some fungi would no longer be able to survive on the continent.
The study has not yet been peer-reviewed, but is backed by the renowned health institution the Wellcome Trust, which funded the research.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


BreakingNews.ie
38 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Leaving Cert: Teacher gives reaction to biology exams
A teacher has given his reaction to the Leaving Cert biology exams, which students sat on Tuesday afternoon. Liam Hennelly, a biology teacher at Belvedere College in Dublin said the Higher Level paper gave students plenty of choice and allowed them to show off what they know. Advertisement "Some of the questions were challenging in places and required an in-depth knowledge of subject material, as you would expect with any Higher Level paper," he said. "In Section A, the short questions, the topics of Food & Biomolecules, Plant Structure, Respiration, Cell Structure, Bioprocessing, Digestion and the Scientific Method came up. "In Section B, the experiment questions, students faced questions on Ecology, Movement Through Membranes and Leaf Yeast. "In Section C Q. 13 on metabolism, photosynthesis and enzymes was quite straight forward. Q.15 was a lovely question on Ecology but in part (b) (iv) 1. students needed to be very careful to draw the predator-prey relationship graph with the curves out of phase with each other. Advertisement "There were 4 questions on Human Biology on the paper that students could have attempted for 200 marks out of 400 or 50% of the exam. This would have been a relief for a lot of students. Overall, this was a very student-centered, fair and current paper that would have been well received." Mr Hennelly said the Ordinary Level paper had a wide selection of questions ranging across a broad number of topics. "Short questions included Food, Ecology, A True/False Question, Cell Structure, Tropisms, the Nervous System and Mitosis. Experiment questions included Food Tests, Enzymes and Factors that Affect Germination. "The long questions gave students a lot of choice across Ecology, Genetics & Protein Synthesis, Photosynthesis & Respiration, Plant Structure, Human Reproduction and microbiology amongst other topics. Overall - the paper was very fair and accessible and students had a lot of choice."


The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Nottingham maternity scandal hospital data was ‘maliciously' deleted, police say
A computer file containing the details of cases linked to the NHS's largest maternity scandal was 'intentionally' and 'maliciously' deleted, a police investigation has found. Nottinghamshire Police launched a probe earlier this year after records held by Nottinghamshire University Hospitals Foundation Trust (NUH) and linked to the alleged maternity failings were temporarily lost. The data was later recovered and 300 more cases are expected to be added to the inquiry into the scandal after a discrepancy was noted by a coroner. NUH is currently being investigated for potential corporate manslaughter after The Independent revealed babies had died or suffered serious injuries at its maternity units. The investigation into the deleted hospital data is not related to the corporate manslaughter probe. The trust is also the subject of an inquiry led by top midwife Donna Ockenden, who is investigating the cases of 2,400 families who experienced maternity care at the trust, including deaths and injuries. Detectives launched a criminal investigation into Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust in September 2023 after concerns were raised about severe harm allegedly linked to the trust's maternity services. In an email to the affected families, seen by The Independent, police said that the data loss was 'most likely to be the action of an individual who had knowledge of the existence and location of the material'. Police said they were satisfied the data was not lost due to 'systemic corruption' and said 'it is most likely to have been done intentionally/maliciously rather than accidentally'. But officers were unable to identify the individual responsible. Families affected by the scandal told The Independent they would like to thank the police for their investigation. They said: 'We are distressed that they were unable to find who did this. We are appalled to hear this news, though sadly we are not surprised.' 'To know it is most likely an individual who most likely intentionally/maliciously deleted files of such importance is of grave concern. As families, we all gave our trust to NUH staff in our most vulnerable state of life and we deserved better. 'To know that there is most likely an individual who is capable of such behaviour is devastating for the already harmed and for the future of NUH safety. We call for openness at the worrying time and for the individual, their colleagues or anyone who knows anything about this to come forwards as a matter of urgency. This is a patient safety emergency.' In 2020, an exposé by The Independent found evidence of repeated poor care, spanning a decade at the NUH, with families accusing the hospital of covering up what happened to them. The investigation, conducted jointly with Channel 4, found 46 cases of babies who had been left with permanent brain damage, 19 stillbirths and 15 deaths. Several families and staff came forward to The Independent with stories of failings by the trust. A major review was commissioned in July 2020, but was soon superseded by Ms Ockenden's independent review. Commenting on the data loss investigation, temporary deputy chief Constable Rob Griffin said: 'Following consultation with HM Coroner and the Donna Ockenden review, a difference in the number of referred cases was identified. With the agreement of all involved, NUH appointed someone to review some of these cases. 'That person created a digital file in relation to their work. Along the journey, that file was found to have been deleted and NUH alerted Nottinghamshire Police to this fact. 'The file was recovered and provided to Nottinghamshire Police and a meticulous investigation has taken place. 'This has been completed by our cyber and digital teams, and although evidence suggested that this was more likely to have been deleted through an intentional individual action, we have not been able to identify a person responsible for this. NUH was approached for comment.


The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Groundbreaking cancer treatment which ‘destroys tumours with sound' to be rolled out on NHS
NHS patients will be the first in Europe to benefit from a pioneering new cancer treatment which uses ultrasound to destroy tumours. The technology, known as histotripsy, offers a non-invasive treatment capable of breaking down liver cancer tissue without surgery, radiation or chemotherapy, with minimal damage to the surrounding organs, according to the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC). First approved by US regulators in October 2023, histotripsy uses pulsed sound waves to create 'bubble clouds' from gases present in the targeted tissue and tumour. When these bubbles pop, within microseconds, a shockwave is released which is capable of breaking up a mass and killing cancerous cells, while avoiding the harms of radiation and reducing the risks of bleeding, infection, and damage to surrounding non-targeted tissue. Treatment is delivered via a single session – potentially taking just 30 minutes – with limited or no pain, a quick recovery, and can be performed as a day case, according to the DHSC. The first NHS patients are set to be treated this summer at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, where the technology – which uses a device called an Edison System, created by US firm HistoSonics – is being debuted after a donation from the Li Ka Shing Foundation. Cancer Research UK describes liver cancer as the 17th most common cancer in the UK and the 8th most frequent cause of cancer death. More than 8,000 people received a new diagnoses in 2022, with liver cancer incidence across the UK having surged by 42 per cent over the past decade, according to the British Liver Trust. So far, more than 1,500 patients worldwide have received treatment using histotripsy, mainly in the United States – following approval by the US Food and Drug Administration in late 2023. According to 12-month follow-up data from HistoSonics' previous clinical trials, which involved patients for whom other treatments had been either unsuccessful or unavailable, overall survival rates after one year were 73.3 per cent for primary liver cancer, and 48.6 per cent for those with secondary tumours. The paper, published in the Annals of Surgery journal in April, noted that both tumour control and survival rates were similar to those among other current treatments. The UK's new device is expected to be fully installed in Cambridge later this year, where it will be used initially to treat patients with primary and secondary liver tumours. Wider research on how this could potentially treat tumours in other organs – such as the pancreas and kidneys – is underway. The technology has been approved in the UK via the innovative devices access pathway, which aims to enable faster approvals of medical devices and treatments which evidence shows are safe, efficient and can fill unmet need. 'This is a strong example of smart, agile regulation in action,' said James Pound, of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). 'It's a major step forward for patients with liver cancer and shows how the UK can be a frontrunner in supporting responsible innovation that meets real clinical need.' While 'regulation is vital to protect patients', the government is 'slashing red tape, so game-changing new treatments reach the NHS front line quicker – transforming healthcare', said health secretary Wes Streeting. Hailing histotripsy as 'an exciting new technology that will make a huge difference to patients', Roland Sinker, chief executive of Cambridge University Hospitals, said: 'By offering this non-invasive, more targeted treatment we can care for more people as outpatients and free up time for surgeons to treat more complex cases. 'The faster recovery times mean patients will be able to return to their normal lives more quickly, which will also reduce pressure on hospital beds, helping us ensure that patients are able to receive the right treatment at the right time.' Fiona Carey, a kidney cancer patient who co-chairs Cambridge's patient advisory group, added: 'This is seriously good news. A new, non-invasive option to treat these cancers is very welcome indeed. 'For patients for whom ordinary surgery is no longer an option, this could make all the difference.'