TVC E. Fungal infections kill more people than malaria or breast cancer but are not considered a priority, say scientists.
Prof Neil Gow, from the University of Aberdeen, said more than one million people die from fungal infections around the world each year.
Yet there are no vaccines and there is a “pressing need” for new treatments, he said.
The warning comes as doctors in England say a new strain of fungi is causing outbreaks in hospitals.
There are more than five million types of fungi, but only three major groups cause the majority of deaths in people:
- Aspergillus – which affects the lungs
- Cryptococcus – which mainly attacks the brain
- Candida – which infects mucosal membranes including in the mouth and genitals
Prof Gow said: “Most people know about mild fungal infections, but nobody’s ever died from athlete’s foot.
“However, a million people die a year from fungal infections and we need to understand these different types of infection and how to deal with them.”
The infections are more deadly in people with weakened immune systems – such as patients with HIV – so the fungal problem is particularly acute in Africa.
“It’s an underappreciated problem and it’s a very serious challenge in the parts of the world least equipped to deal with it,” Prof Gow added.
Patients having cancer therapy or who are taking immune suppressant drugs after an organ transplant are also more susceptible to infection.
Speaking in an interview he said: “Fungi are extremely tough and manipulate the immune system to prevent themselves being recognized, they are very slippery customers.”
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