Fungal Infections are Becoming More Common. Why Isn't There a Vaccine? [View all]

- 'Fungal infections are becoming more common. Why isn't there a vaccine?' NBC News, Feb. 10, 2023. Ed. - Vaccine researchers are focused on a small group of fungi responsible for the vast majority of fatal infections in the U.S.

Fungal infections are becoming more common in the U. S., but unlike illnesses caused by bacteria or viruses, there’s no vaccine to protect against a fungal threat. While scientists aren’t worried that a fungal infection like the one seen in HBO’s “The Last of Us” will wipe out humanity, the infections are certainly a cause for concern. Fungi cause a wide range of illnesses in people, from irritating athlete's foot to life-threatening bloodstream infections. In the U.S., fungal infections are responsible for more than 75,000 hospitalizations and nearly 9 million outpatient visits each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

In 2021, around 7,200 people died from fungal diseases. These numbers, the CDC said, are likely an underestimate.

One type of fungus, Candida auris, can be resistant to all of the drugs used to treat it, & is particularly dangerous for hospitalized & nursing home patients. The fungus was first identified in Japan in 2009 and has since been found in over 30 countries, including the U.S. Climate change also threatens to make several infection-causing fungi more widespread: The fungus that causes Valley fever thrives in hot, dry soil, & the fungus that causes an illness called histoplasmosis prefers high humidity. Despite the growing threat, there are currently no licensed vaccines — in the U.S. or abroad — to prevent fungal infections. "These are the most important infectious diseases that you have not heard of," said Karen Norris, an immunologist & vaccine expert at the University of Ga. "A vaccine has the potential to move forward & protect a large swath of individuals."

- Fatal fungal infections. Norris said that the ultimate goal would be to develop a single vaccine that protects against all fungal infections. But a "pan-fungal" vaccine is incredibly challenging to make. That’s because, she said, unlike the Covid vaccines, which target a single pathogen — the SARS-CoV-2 virus — a fungal vaccine would ideally protect against the wide spectrum of fungi in existence, each biologically different from the next. For now, Norris & her team have decided to focus on the 3 fungi responsible for the vast majority of fatal fungal infections in the U.S.: - Aspergillus, a common mold that can cause an infection in the lungs & sinuses that can later spread to other parts of the body. - Candida, particularly Candida auris, a type of yeast that can cause serious blood infections, particularly in people in health care settings. - Pneumocystis, which can cause pneumonia.

In preclinical trials, the experimental vaccine developed by Norris & her team was shown to generate antifungal antibodies in animals, including rhesus macaques. With funding support, the researchers could start & finish the human vaccine trials within the next 5 years, she said. - In Arizona, researchers are focused on a vaccine to prevent Valley fever, a lung infection caused by the fungus Coccidioides. The fungus, typically found in the hot, dry soils of the Southwest, is an "emerging threat," Norris said, because climate change is expanding its range. So far, the vaccine has been shown to be effective in dogs..Little urgency, lack of funding...Read More, https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/fungal-infections-are-becoming-common-isnt-vaccine-rcna68791

- CDC. SOURCES OF HISTOPLASMOSIS, TYPES OF DISEASES, FUNGAL, MAPS -
https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/diseases/histoplasmosis/causes.html