Jakarta –

Scientists in Barcelona warn a ‘The Last of Us’-like outbreak has moved one step closer to real life after a new hybrid fungus was discovered. The fungus, called candida orthopsilosis, comes from two parent strains or hybridization due to climate change.

This new strain has acquired specific properties, such as infecting the human body, the body at higher temperatures, and resistance to antifungal drugs. The researchers say hybridization could become more common as temperatures rise and ecosystem conditions change, coupled with globalization and human actions, such as the extensive use of fungicides and antibiotics in agriculture.

“We have spent years trying to answer the question of what makes some species pathogenic to humans and others, such as those in our microbiome, are not,” said lead researcher Dr Toni Gabaldón from the Institute for Biomedical Research (IRB Barcelona).

“Our results show that hybridization, a process that has so far received little attention, allows the rapid acquisition of traits that enable human infections. Therefore, in fungi, this process could be a shortcut to conquering species like ours, ” he continued.

During hybridization, different genomes and alleles are incorporated into the same cell, thereby enhancing adaptation by increasing genome plasticity. Divergent genomes occur when two or more populations of an ancestral species experience mutations over time.

While an allele is one of two or more alternative forms of a gene that arise through mutation and are found in the same place on a chromosome.

“In fact, with caution, this is the plot of the recent and popular miniseries ‘The Last of Us’ (HBO Max), in which a fungus quickly acquires an enormous capacity for infection, transmission and virulence, a perfect combination of properties .which allowed it to wipe out humanity in a short time,’ said the researchers.

“It is estimated that there are currently more than one million species of fungi, most of which are adapted to live in moderate or low temperatures in soil, aquatic environments, trees and plants, as well as animals such as amphibians, fish, reptiles and insects,” he continued.

Parental strains identified in hybrid fungi, pass along enriched membrane and cell wall-associated proteins, which may play a role in virulence, adhesion, and pathogenesis. It also provides the ability to grow faster.

“The presence of parent B coexisting with several previously identified hybrid groups suggests that warm marine environments could be a melting pot where these two lineages hybridized,” reads the study published in Nature.

The team said in a press release that candida orthopsilosis appears to be closely related to candida auris, which is currently spreading to US medical facilities. They believe Candida auris is also a hybrid that formed in the sea and jumped to humans in 2009.

There have been hundreds of outbreaks of this infection around the world, with a mortality rate of between 30 and 60 percent. Scientists suggest these may be the first microorganisms to become pathogenic due to climate change.

The scientists also studied nine samples of yeast in the Arabian Sea isolated from marine environments, particularly off the coast of Qatar, and found almost all of them were hybrids.

The fungus strain Candida orthopsilosis was also recently isolated from tea flowers in Thailand but was not used in this study. These observations led scientists to hypothesize that these fungi may have undergone adaptations that give them an advantage over their parent strains.

“We saw that the optimal temperature at which the orthopsilosis cadidas strain grows is 35 degrees Celsius and they can survive up to much higher temperatures,” said another co-author, Dr Valentina del Olmo.

“This observation is worrying because their tolerance exceeds the thermal limits of mammals, which until now have acted as a protective shield, and opens the way to infecting humans,” he added.

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2023-11-15 01:31:40
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