Nature | Review
Emerging fungal threats to animal, plant and ecosystem health
Matthew C. Fisher,1 Daniel. A. Henk,1 Cheryl J. Briggs,2 John S. Brownstein,3 Lawrence C. Madoff,4 Sarah L. McCraw5 & Sarah J. Gurr5
Nature, Volume: 484, Pages: 186–194, Date published: (12 April 2012) – DOI: doi:10.1038/nature10947
The past two decades have seen an increasing number of virulent infectious diseases in natural populations and managed landscapes. In both animals and plants, an unprecedented number of fungal and fungal-like diseases have recently caused some of the most severe die-offs and extinctions ever witnessed in wild species, and are jeopardizing food security. Human activity is intensifying fungal disease dispersal by modifying natural environments and thus creating new opportunities for evolution. We argue that nascent fungal infections will cause increasing attrition of biodiversity, with wider implications for human and ecosystem health, unless steps are taken to tighten biosecurity worldwide.
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Yes I agree that human activity is intensifying fungal diseases and we cause problems within our environment, that’s not to mention the side effects genetically engineered crops are causing. There’s one story where a genetically engineered corn variety that was spliced with some sort of pesticide polluted a river in Australia. They said it was discovered when the rain drenched the left over leaves and stalks and the rain water reached the river.
By: medical biller on April 30, 2012
at 1:24 pm