Written by Stacey Liberatore Dailymail.com
November 13, 2023 22:03, updated November 13, 2023 22:04
- Scientists have identified a hybrid fungus that lived in the marine environment
- They come from two species and can adapt to rising temperatures.
- Read more: Zombie bacteria is 3 steps away from infecting humans
Scientists have warned that the discovery of a new hybrid fungus brings HBO’s The Last of Us one step closer to reality.
Scientists in Barcelona said Candida orthopsilosis originates from two parent strains in a rare event called hybridization that occurs as a result of climate change.
This new super strain has acquired certain properties such as infectivity in humans, growth at high temperatures, and resistance to antifungal drugs.
The researchers said hybrids could become more common due to rising temperatures and changing ecosystem conditions, as well as globalization and human actions such as widespread use of fungicides and antibiotics in agriculture. Ta.
Dr. Toni Gabaldón, principal investigator at the Biomedical Research Institute (IRB Barcelona), said: “Over the years, we have learned that some species are good for humans, and that other species, such as those present in our microbiome, ) are not pathogenic.” .
“Our results show that properties that enable human infection can be rapidly acquired by hybridization, a process that has received little attention so far. Therefore, in fungi, this process It could be a shortcut to conquering species like us.”
During hybridization, different genomes and alleles are brought together in the same cell, promoting adaptation by increasing genomic plasticity.
Genome divergence is when populations of two or more ancestral species accumulate mutations over time.
An allele is one of two or more alternative forms of a gene that result from mutation and exist at the same location on a chromosome.
“In fact, in an abundance of caution, this is the plot of the recent hit miniseries The Last of Us (HBO Max), in which a fungus possesses enormous capacity for infection, contagion, and pathogenicity. “It is the perfect combination of properties that can be acquired rapidly, making it possible to wipe out humanity in a short period of time,” the researchers said in a statement.
It is estimated that there are currently more than one million species of fungi, most of which are adapted to live in temperate or cold temperatures in soil, aquatic environments, trees and plants, and animals such as amphibians, fish, and reptiles. And insects.
One parental lineage was identified within the hybrid fungus; It is rich in membrane and cell wall associated proteins and may play a role in virulence, adhesion and pathogenesis.
We also needed the ability to grow at a faster rate.
“The presence of parent B coexisting with several hybrid clades identified so far suggests that warm seawater environments may be a melting pot for these two lineages to interbreed,” said a study published in 2006. It has been written in a study. Nature.
Dr. Valentina del Olmo said: “We found that the optimal temperature for C. orthopsilosis strains to grow is 35°C, and that they can survive up to even higher temperatures.
“This observation is alarming because their resistance could surpass the mammalian thermal barrier that previously served as a protective shield, paving the way for human infection.”
The research team shared in a press release that C. orthopsilosis appears to be closely related to Candida auris, which is currently prevalent in U.S. healthcare facilities.
The research team said they believe C. auris is also a hybrid that formed in the ocean and transferred to humans in 2009.
There have already been hundreds of cases of this infection around the world, with a mortality rate of 30 to 60 percent.
Scientists say this may be the first microorganism to become a pathogen due to climate change.
For this study, the team studied nine yeast samples isolated from the marine environment in the Arabian Sea, specifically off the coast of Qatar, and found that almost all were hybrids.
A C. orthopsilosis strain was also recently isolated from Thai tea flowers but was not used in this study.
This observation led the researchers to hypothesize that these fungi may have undergone adaptations that gave them an advantage over their parent strains.