Why is Fungal AMR Important?

Antifungal drug resitance is rapidly increasing on a global scale across a broad range of pathogenic fungi with major consequences for food security and human and animal health.

Crop-destroying fungi are estimated to account for 30% of perennial yield loss: they are the primary driver for antifungal usage, and a failure to address antifungal resistance could be catastrophic for food security.

Mass usage of agricultural fungicides has a dual impact through induction of resistance in major animal and human fungal pathogens.

The WHO fungal priority pathogen list was published in 2022 and highlighted that fungal-attributable deaths were at least equal to numbers of people killed by tuberculosis or malaria.

Human fungal disease is multi-faceted and escalating due to climate change, and an ever-increasing population of individuals with chronic respiratory diseases, critical illnesses or immunocompromise states.

 A one health approaches are urgently required to address complex drivers for antifungal drug resistance.