[113°F] for like four days — that causes massive die-offs in the fungal microbiome in the soil. And we are selecting for isolates that are more temperature-resistant," Spec said.found that an increase in temperature caused fungus to turn its adaptive responses"into overdrive," prompting it to mutate and evolve at higher rates — which may enable it to acquire higher heat resistance and perhaps"greater disease-causing potential.
Warmer temperatures also mean that certain disease-causing fungi can now thrive in areas that were once uninhabitable.that Valley Fever, for example — a disease caused by the fungus Coccidioides, which is usually found in areas with dry, hot soil — has spread to the Pacific Northwest. Fungi spread through spores that are all around us, in the air we breathe, all the time — and usually our immune systems can handle them. Those with compromised immune systems tend to be much more susceptible to fungal infections than immunocompetent people, although Spec does point out that around 15% to 20% of patients he sees with infections are otherwise healthy and immunocompetent.
“The fact is, it hasn't happened ever, so it's very unlikely to actually happen,” Spec said. “But if it did, we don't have a game plan, because we've also systematically underfunded research and fungus for a century.”