Climate Change and Emerging Fungal Infections in India: Ecological Niche Modeling, Epidemiological Implications, and Public Health Response

Climate Change and Emerging Fungal Infections in India

Abstract

 Climate change is accelerating the emergence, distribution, and clinical burden of fungal infections worldwide. India bears a disproportionately high epidemiological impact due to its diverse climatic zones and ecological heterogeneity, which amplify these trends and produce marked geographic variation in fungal endemicity. The rising burden of serious fungal infection, estimated to affect 60 million Indians annually, surpasses that of several historically dominant infectious diseases. Increasing ambient temperatures, modified patterns of precipitation, and the heightened occurrence of extreme weather conditions are major factors altering fungal ecology, fostering thermotolerance, expanding geographic distribution, and amplifying human exposure. The contemporary prevalence of multidrug-resistant pathogens such as Candida auris, along with climate-sensitive infections such as aspergillosis, mucormycosis, and other dimorphic fungi, reflects both enhanced clinical complexity and mounting public health risk. These vulnerabilities were further emphasized by pandemic-associated mycoses during COVID-19, which were driven by immune dysregulation, corticosteroid use, and comorbidities. Despite increasing disease burden, fungal surveillance infrastructure remains rudimentary. Existing gaps include underreporting, restricted diagnostic capacity, lack of standardized methodologies, and inadequate environmental monitoring. National initiatives represented by ICMR-MycoNet, AMDRCs, and AMRSN signify important but need expansion and integration with global platforms including the WHO GLASS-Fungi and CDC Fungi-Net. Building national capacity necessitates mandatory reporting of invasive mycoses, scaling up mycological diagnostics, antifungal stewardship, and interdisciplinary research that links climate parameters with fungal disease trends. The converging threats from climate change and emergence of fungal diseases call for urgent, coordinated public health action to build resilient surveillance, diagnostic, and policy systems across the country.