A fungus that can ‘eat you from the inside out’ could spread as the world heats up
, CNN Climate | May 26, 2025
Infection-causing fungi responsible for millions of deaths a year will spread significantly to new regions as the planet heats up, new research predicts — and the world is not prepared.
Fungi are absolutely everywhere. A vast kingdom of organisms, from mold to mushrooms, they grow in environments such as soil, compost and water. They play an important role in ecosystems but can have a devastating impact on human health: Fungal infections kill an estimated 2.5 million people a year, and a lack of data means that number could be far higher.
Yet we are still very far from understanding them, especially how these incredibly adaptable organisms will respond to a warming climate.
A team of scientists from Manchester University used computer simulations and forecasts to map the potential future spread of Aspergillus, a common group of fungi found all over the world that can cause aspergillosis, a life-threatening disease primarily affecting the lungs.
They found certain Aspergillus species will expand their range as the climate crisis intensifies, pushing into new parts of North America, Europe, China and Russia. The study, published this month, is currently being peer reviewed.
“Fungi are relatively under-researched compared to viruses and parasites, but these maps show that fungal pathogens will likely impact most areas of the world in the future,” said Norman van Rijn, one of the study’s authors and a climate change and infectious diseases researcher at the University of Manchester.
The field has seen new attention thanks to the popular HBO television drama “The Last of Us,” which follows people trying to survive in a world where an infectious mutant fungus has turned most of the population into violent monsters. (HBO and CNN share the same parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.)
It’s fiction, van Rijn said, but he hopes it will raise the profile of fungal infections that are killing millions in reality.