Could Deadly Super Yeasts be Present in Fungicide-Treated Fruits?

Recent research concluded by India-based experts raised concerns about the transmission risks of highly harmful and hard-to-kill fungal infections. A recent study found evidence of drug-resistant strains of Candida Auris on fungicide-treated fruits, specifically apples.

Findings suggest that fruits dosed with the said chemicals can fuel the emergence and spread of the germ known to cause deadly outbreaks in many hospitals.

Deadly Candida Auris: A Hard-to-Kill Fungi Plaguing Hospitals and Fruits

(Photo: Carlo Martin Alcordo:)

C. Auris is an emerging pathogen and yeast initially discovered in 2009. Although most people exposed to the super yeast do not become sick, it can cause severe infection in some significantly immunocompromised patients. This has made the fungus a grave threat in hospitals and various health care environments. C. Auris is also often resistant to a few antifungals that can be used against it. Although outbreaks of the super yeast are rare, doctors have already come across various cases where the fungi are resistant to all available drugs, including in the US.

Despite the recent emergence in hospitals and the human environment, fungi are believed to have existed in nature. In the previous year, researchers from Canada and India were the first to document the fungi's presence in the wild, living in warm island regions of India. The same team has recently published research regarding the super yeast, reports Gizmodo.

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Fungicide-Treated Fruits Foster Deadly C. Auris

In 2020 and 2021, the researchers collected and sampled surfaces of 84 fruits that grew and were sold in India, primarily apples, to look for the disease-causing yeasts and the like. In the study published in the journal mBio, titled "Candida Auris on Apples: Diversity and Clinical Significance," researchers found that one eight of the apples sampled, or roughly 13%, had a diverse variety of drug-resistant fungi strains were found.

Meanwhile, none of the apples sampled that were freshly picked from orchards had traces of the deadly drug-resistant C.Auris. On the other hand, apples stored and sold at various stores often had fungi species related to Candida.

According to the study's authors, the findings indicated that treating apples and various fruits with a fungicide to prevent spoiling is unintentionally aiding in the growth of super yeasts. Similar phenomena can be seen in antibiotic-treated livestock prescribed antibiotics to clear infections, which allow drug-resistant strains of bacteria to emerge.

Experts wrote that the findings suggest that the super yeast, C. Auris, in the natural ecosystem may contact various agriculture fungicides wherein stored fruits could prove to be a significant niche for the selection of azole resistance in the fungi and other human fungal pathogens.

Although the recent study focused on finding traces of the hard-to-kill fundi in India, researchers warn that it isn't simply a local problem; in recent years, outbreaks of C. Auris have been recorded in previously undocumented areas across the globe, including Brazil and the US.