The spread of existing and emerging fungal diseases in plants and animals poses a threat to global food security and biodiversity, according to a new study whose authors suggest halting fungal rot in the most important crops could feed an extra 600 million people a year.
Writing in the 11 April online issue of Nature, researchers from the University of Oxford and Imperial College London in the UK, together with colleagues from several institutions in the US, say the fungal threat is largely the result of human activity, and call for more funds to tighten biosecurity worldwide.
The last 20 years or so have seen an increase in virulent infectious diseases, both in the wild and managed landscapes.
But more recently, there has been an unprecedented number of fungal and fungal-like diseases, causing some of the most severe die-offs ever witnessed among wild plant and animal species, write Dr Matthew Fisher, from Imperial’s School of Public Health, Dr Sarah Gurr, Professor of Molecular Plant Pathology at the University of Oxford, and colleagues.
In 70% of cases where infectious disease leads to the extinction of a type of plant or animal, behind the scenes is an emergent species of fungus, and this percentage is rising, say the researchers.
In the animal kingdom, over 500 species of amphibians are at risk from new fungal diseases, plus many species of sea turtles, bees, and even coral.
Medical News Today