University of Manchester researchers have co-ordinated a ‘first of its kind’ series, published today in the prestigious journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases.The series of papers gives new insights into the breadth of fungal diseases and a call to action for world health bodies to prevent millions of infections each year. Killing over 1.5 million and affecting over a billion people, fungal diseases have been the most neglected topic by public health authorities. However, most deaths from fungal diseases are avoidable.
Most serious fungal infections are ‘hidden’, occurring as a consequence of other health problems such as asthma, AIDS, cancer, organ transplant and corticosteroid therapies. All require specialised testing for diagnosis, and any delay or missed diagnosis often leads to death, serious chronic illness or blindness.
As a result the Journal has decided to signal an end to this neglect by commissioning an authoritative series of articles, covering almost all aspects of fungal diseases. The series focuses on the global inequalities in treatment.
Professors David Denning and Juan Luis Rodriguez Tudela from The University of Manchester and the Global Action Fund for Fungal Infections, co-ordinated the eight paper series commented: Prof Denning “The massive advances in fungal disease and understanding over the last two decades should have resulted in much better outcomes – but sadly not in many countries”.
Profesor Juan Luis Rodriguez Tudela said: “Improvements in patient outcomes require changes in all part of the health care ‘ecosystem’, notably clinical training, access to and resource for fungal diagnostics, access to affordable antifungal therapy. A major public health response is called for.”
According to the researchers, there is a complete absence of proposals or commentary on integration of fungal diseases into health care systems. This is addressed by Professor Donald Cole of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto who calls for a ‘combined health systems and public health approaches’ and provides examples from Mozambique, Kenya, India, and South Africa”.
The Authors of the papers in the series come from six continents. The publications tackle fungal infections in AIDS, in cancer, after TB, in asthma, after transplantation and major abdominal surgery, in critical care in the rare patients with immunodeficiencies and notably the WHO ‘neglected tropical fungal diseases’ mycetoma and chromoblastomycosis.
Outbreaks of fungal diseases occur frequently and these are highlighted in one article.
Another addresses antifungal resistance – like anti-bacterial resistance an increasing problem requiring many radical solutions and new antifungal drugs.
Professor Denning added: “The evidence gathered in this article series shows not only the scale of the global problem but also that hundreds of thousands of deaths a year could be avoided. The expertise is available, now it just needs government and international action to make it a reality.”
The series is now published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases on 31 July 2017:
Fungal infections in HIV & AIDS Limper et al
Candida and invasive mould diseases in non-neutropenic critically ill patients and patients with haematological cancer Colombo et al
Pulmonary and sinus fungal diseases in non-immunocompromised patients Denning et al
Neglected endemic mycoses Queirox-Telles et al
The global problem of antifungal resistance: prevalence, mechanisms, and management Perlin et al
Immunotherapeutic approaches to treatment of fungal diseases Armstrong-James et al
Emerging issues, challenges, and changing epidemiology of fungal disease outbreaks Benedict et al
Comment : Recovery from serious fungal infections should be realisable for everyone JL Rodriguez -Tudela
University of Manchester Press release
Copies of papers on request