Public Health Action on Fungal Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance

A special issue of Journal of Fungi (ISSN 2309-608X). This special issue belongs to the section "Fungal Pathogenesis and Disease Control".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2025 | Viewed by 3123

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
National Infection Service, Public Health England, London, UK
Interests: AMR; infectious disease epidemiology; emerging and re-emerging infections; global health; policy

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Guest Editor Assistant
HCAI, Fungal, AMR, AMU, and Sepsis Division, United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA), London, UK
Interests: AMR; infectious disease epidemiology; emerging and re-emerging infections; global health; policy

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Guest Editor Assistant
HCAI, Fungal, AMR, AMU, and Sepsis Division, United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA), London, UK
Interests: AMR; surveillance; antimicrobial stewardship; fungal epidemiology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fungal infections increasingly threaten human health and global food security. Despite this, fungal infections remain under-represented on the global health and research agenda. The development of the first World Health Organisation (WHO) Fungal Priority Pathogens List is an important landmark, building on work to incorporate fungal infections into the WHO Essential Medicines List and Essential Diagnostic List. However, several challenges remain. The population of susceptible hosts is increasing; novel threats continue to emerge, e.g., Candida auris; climate change is altering the ecology of fungal organisms; antifungal use in the environment drives resistance in potential human pathogens; antifungal resistance combined with a limited antifungal drug armamentarium limits treatment options and affects clinical outcomes; despite policy advances, access to diagnostics and therapeutics is limited, often where it is most needed; and so on. Although fungal infections are being incorporated into the WHO’s Global Antimicrobial Surveillance System (GLASS) through the development of the GLASS-Fungi module, few countries have effective surveillance systems for fungal infections and their associated diseases.

A rapidly growing and perennially vocal community of academics, clinicians, policymakers, public health professionals, and other advocates interested in fungal infections continue to highlight the importance of fungi within their respective spheres of influence. The aim of this Special Issue is to highlight the important work being performed globally to raise the profile of fungal infections and antimicrobial resistance across all One Health domains—humans, animals, plants, and the environment. We invite colleagues to submit original research articles, reviews, short communications, and perspectives that fall within any of the following domains related to fungal infections and antimicrobial resistance across the One Health sphere, with clear relevance to public health measures:

  • Policy;
  • Advocacy;
  • Surveillance;
  • Public health interventions;
  • Innovation;
  • Antifungal stewardship;
  • Laboratory capacity development;
  • Patient and public engagement;
  • Infection prevention and control;
  • Fungal disease burden;
  • Ecology of fungi.

Dr. Colin S Brown
Guest Editor

Dr. Christopher R. Jones
Dr. Emma Budd
Guest Editor Assistants

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Fungi is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • fungal infections
  • antimicrobial resistance
  • policy
  • advocacy
  • surveillance
  • innovation
  • ecology
  • One Health
  • disease burden
  • infection prevention and control
  • stewardship
  • laboratory capacity
  • patient and public engagement
  • education

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 2787 KiB  
Article
Tracking Candidemia Trends and Antifungal Resistance Patterns across Europe: An In-Depth Analysis of Surveillance Systems and Surveillance Studies
by Karin Odoj, Jacopo Garlasco, Maria Diletta Pezzani, Cristina Magnabosco, Diego Ortiz, Federica Manco, Liliana Galia, Sarah K. Foster, Fabiana Arieti and Evelina Tacconelli
J. Fungi 2024, 10(10), 685; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof10100685 - 29 Sep 2024
Abstract
Background: The WHO fungal priority list classifies Candida species as critical and high-priority pathogens, and the WHO GLASS fungi initiative seeks to establish a standardised global framework for antifungal resistance monitoring. We aimed to review resistance rates and antifungal resistance patterns across European [...] Read more.
Background: The WHO fungal priority list classifies Candida species as critical and high-priority pathogens, and the WHO GLASS fungi initiative seeks to establish a standardised global framework for antifungal resistance monitoring. We aimed to review resistance rates and antifungal resistance patterns across European surveillance systems and studies in response to these recent calls for action. Methods: A systematic review of national and international surveillance systems and peer-reviewed surveillance studies available up to June 2024 was conducted. Descriptive and trend analyses were performed on surveillance data reporting resistance to different antifungals in Candida spp. Results: In total, 6 national surveillance systems and 28 studies from 13 countries provided candidemia resistance data, mostly about the C. albicans, C. glabrata and C. parapsilosis complex. Azole resistance was most frequently reported (6/6 surveillance systems and 27/28 studies) with the highest resistance rate, especially for C. glabrata, in Croatia (100%, 28/28 isolates) and Slovenia (85.7%, 82/96) and C. parapsilosis in Croatia (80.6%, 54/67) and Italy (72.6%, 106/146). Echinocandin and polyene resistance rates were nearly zero. The number of isolates included in the surveillance systems increased over the years, particularly for C. albicans (+40–60 isolates/year), C. glabrata, and C. parapsilosis (+15–30 isolates/year). No surveillance system or study reported resistance data for C. auris. Pooled data from national surveillance revealed a decreasing trend in azole resistance in C. albicans and C. glabrata. The increasing azole-resistance trend in C. parapsilosis disappeared after adjusting for between-country heterogeneity. Overall, echinocandin and polyene resistance trends appeared relatively stable. Conclusions: Awareness of antifungal resistance is growing, but further actions are needed to strengthen surveillance capacity and knowledge-sharing networks across Europe. Full article
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15 pages, 1546 KiB  
Article
Mapping the Burden of Fungal Diseases in the United Arab Emirates
by Fatima Al Dhaheri, Jens Thomsen, Dean Everett and David W. Denning
J. Fungi 2024, 10(5), 353; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof10050353 - 15 May 2024
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Abstract
The United Arab Emirates has very little data on the incidence or prevalence of fungal diseases. Using total and underlying disease risk populations and likely affected proportions, we have modelled the burden of fungal disease for the first time. The most prevalent serious [...] Read more.
The United Arab Emirates has very little data on the incidence or prevalence of fungal diseases. Using total and underlying disease risk populations and likely affected proportions, we have modelled the burden of fungal disease for the first time. The most prevalent serious fungal conditions are recurrent vulvovaginitis (~190,000 affected) and fungal asthma (~34,000 affected). Given the UAE’s low prevalence of HIV, we estimate an at-risk population of 204 with respect to serious fungal infections with cryptococcal meningitis estimated at 2 cases annually, 15 cases of Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) annually, and 20 cases of esophageal candidiasis in the HIV population. PCP incidence in non-HIV patients is estimated at 150 cases annually. Likewise, with the same low prevalence of tuberculosis in the country, we estimate a total chronic pulmonary aspergillosis prevalence of 1002 cases. The estimated annual incidence of invasive aspergillosis is 505 patients, based on local data on rates of malignancy, solid organ transplantation, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (5.9 per 100,000). Based on the 2022 annual report of the UAE’s national surveillance database, candidaemia annual incidence is 1090 (11.8/100,000), of which 49.2% occurs in intensive care. Fungal diseases affect ~228,695 (2.46%) of the population in the UAE. Full article
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