WASHINGTON, July 7 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists, noting fungi cause many outbreaks of disease, are calling for studies of fungi that impact human health and agriculture.
Although fungi cause a number of life-threatening diseases, a report from the American Academy of Microbiology says research has been seriously neglected -- "a situation with grave negative repercussions for human health, agriculture, and the environment."
The report is the product of a colloquium, during which experts in mycology, medicine, plant pathogens and ecology discussed the state of research in mycology.
"The average person is at risk for several fungal diseases, from toenail infections to athlete's foot to life threatening systemic infections," said Dr. Arturo Casadevall of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. "Fungi may also predispose people to asthma and allergic diseases,"
He said fungi also cause more than half of all plant diseases.
Dr. Joseph Heitman of the Duke University Medical Center, added: "Fungi are workhorses for research and biotechnology. "Both the hepatitis B vaccine and Gardasil (the vaccine for papilloma virus) are produced in yeast."
The researchers said the importance of fungi demands better research to gain a better understanding of the organisms.
