Scientists Warn of Fungal Threat to Food Supply.

Fungal infections pose a significant threat to global food supply, with growers losing up to 23% of their crops to fungal infections every year. Due to their effects on five of the world's top calorie crops, fungi currently destroy enough food to provide 2,000 calories every day for one year to between 600 million and 4 billion people. Climate change, monocultures, and fungicide resistance are exacerbating the problem. Researchers warn that this could lead to a global health catastrophe caused by the rapid global spread of fungal infections as they develop increasing resistance in a warming world. However, researchers have developed new techniques that might enable a novel class of fungicides targeting multiple cellular mechanisms, and better farming practices could also reduce the risk of fungal outbreaks.