Excerpt

Despite the extensive influence of fungi on economic well-being, as well as on human, animal, plant, and ecosystem health, the threats posed by emerging fungal pathogens are often unappreciated and poorly understood. On December 14 and 15, 2010, the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM’s) Forum on Microbial Threats hosted a public workshop on this topic in order to explore the scientific and policy dimensions associated with the causes and consequences of emerging fungal diseases. Through invited presentations and discussions, the workshop explored the environmental, host (plant, animal, and human), and pathogen-related factors influencing the emergence, establishment, and spread of fungal pathogens, as well as the impacts of these diseases on human and animal health, agriculture, and biodiversity. Workshop participants also considered and discussed opportunities to improve surveillance, detection, and response strategies for identifying and mitigating the impacts of these diseases in order to better prepare for future outbreaks. Convened in response to the perceived threat posed by emerging fungal diseases to human, animal, and plant health, this was the first workshop in the Forum’s 15-year history that focused exclusively on fungal pathogens.

Contents

• The National Academies
• Forum on Microbial Threats
• Board on Global Health
• Reviewers
• Acknowledgments
• Workshop Overview
  • FUNGAL DISEASES: AN EMERGING THREAT TO HUMAN, ANIMAL, AND PLANT HEALTH
  • THE HIDDEN KINGDOM
  • FACTORS OF EMERGENCE
  • EMERGING FUNGAL DISEASES OF HUMANS, ANIMALS, AND PLANTS
  • SURVEILLANCE, DETECTION, AND RESPONSE
  • WORKSHOP OVERVIEW REFERENCES
• Appendixes
  • Appendix A Contributed Manuscripts
  • Appendix B Agenda
  • Appendix C Acronyms
  • Appendix D Glossary
  • Appendix E Forum Member Biographies
  • Appendix F Speaker Biographies

Rapporteurs: LeighAnne Olsen, Eileen R. Choffnes, David A. Relman, and Leslie Pray

Financial support for this project was provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration, and the Fogarty International Center; U.S. Department of Defense, Department of the Army: Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System, Medical Research and Materiel Command, and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; U.S. Department of Homeland Security; U.S. Agency for International Development; American Society for Microbiology; sanofi pasteur; Burroughs Wellcome Fund; Pfizer, Inc.; GlaxoSmithKline; Infectious Diseases Society of America; and the Merck Company Foundation.

Suggested citation:

IOM (Institute of Medicine). 2011. Fungal Diseases: An Emerging Threat to Human, Animal, and Plant Health. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.