Disaster Microbiology—a New Field of Study

Abstract

Natural and human-made disasters can cause tremendous physical damage, societal change, and suffering. In addition to their effects on people, disasters have been shown to alter the microbial population in the area affected.

Was Coccidioides a Pre-Columbian Hitchhiker to Southcentral Washington?

“…An alternate dispersal hypothesis is that Coccidioides is translocated by wind storms and other natural disasters ( 64 ). This is typified by the infamous case of distant coccidioidomycosis cases associated with a windstorm natural disaster event: the 1977 “Tempest of Tehachapi” ( 65 ).…”

Mouldy Planet: Fungi and One Health

“…and COVID-19 have been reported, further complicating the categorization of common symptoms, including fatigue, cough, fever, headache, shortness of breath, muscle ache or joint pain, and resulting in similar post-exposure incubation periods� 10,11 There is no vaccine to prevent coccidioidomycosis, and diagnosed patients are typically prescribed antifungals for up to six months to relieve symptoms and clear the infection� In the continental USA, surveillance data show a clustering of coccidioidomycosis in the south-west region and a record number of cases in 2011 in Arizona, while a record number of cases in California were recorded in 2019 (Fig� 2)� Data on animal coccidioidomycosis is even more sparse than for human cases of the disease� In endemic regions, dogs are the most frequently reported animals to have the disease and to show severe symptoms� However, all animals, including horses, cattle and other livestock, can be affected when they breathe in an environment where fungal spores are aerosolized through disturbance of soil during farming operations or construction of infrastructure such as roads and buildings in urban regions� Among wildlife, coccidioidomycosis has been documented broadly, including in marine organisms� 12,13,14,15 Important to the One Health context is the potential role of rodents and small animals, which may move between human habitats and wildlife in perpetuating the fungus in environmental reservoirs� 16,17,18 Evidence is mounting that progressive climate change is fuelling more intense wildfires in regions inhabited by fungal pathogens associated with coccidioidomycosis� Frequent wildfires have increased the vulnerability of firefighters and first responders in the health sector� Additionally, scientists exploring the relatively new research field of pyroaerobiology are documenting the role of wildfires in dissemination of the fungal pathogens over wide geographic areas because the spores can survive the heat and they are sufficiently light to be transported in the smoke plume� 19,20 People and animals develop valley fever after they breathe in dust from soil that contains fungal spores� Climate change causes increasingly frequent droughts, which create more dust� Earthquakes and building construction also mobilize dust to spread widely� Together, these factors increase people's vulnerability to valley fever� Public health education and communication campaigns are essential in strategies to reduce vulnerability to valley fever� For example, in the south-western USA, a case study on data collection and interpretation is underway to better predict pandemic threats posed by fungal pathogens, particularly valley fever, under the influence of climate change� The superimposition of epidemiologic data, climate data and social vulnerabilities is generating greater public awareness of the disease� 21,22 Transdisciplinary Process…”

An Awkward Fit: Antimicrobial Resistance and the Evolution of International Health Politics (1945-2022)

“…If AMR signals an "Anthropocene in the cell," 46 we should consider extending traditional pathogen-centred regulatory responses to the broader impact of human activity on local and global microbial environments. A rich field of interdisciplinary research surrounding "microbiome stewardship," 47 "disaster microbiology," 48 "microbial health," 49 and "microbial equity" 50 is already contextualising AMR as a dysbiotic sign of societal and microbial stress. Engaging with emerging insights can help us develop research agendas to orientate global regulatory responses and create equitable infrastructures capable of not only mitigating AMR in the short term, but also of preserving diverse eubiotic microbiota for future generations.…”