at the HBO opening Last of Us, several scientists in a 1960s interview discuss how a fungal pandemic could destroy humanity. It makes me think. Answer: No. At least, not now. However, it is possible in the future.
This got us thinking about what infectious diseases are most likely to ravage humanity and disrupt our way of life in the next few years. Candidates: bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Each has impressive historical kill numbers and their own strengths and weaknesses.
Cases of fungal pandemics
Fungal infections are primarily a nuisance. Ringworm, nail infections, yeast infections, and thrush, the most common cases in the United States, are easily treated with common medicines and usually go away within a few weeks. However, some types of fungal infections are more serious. Illnesses such as fungal meningitis and bloodstream infections are less common but can be fatal, especially in immunocompromised people. And the emergence of new types of fungal infections could be a definite possibility in the future.
How fungal infections spread
Minor fungal infections tend to spread from person to person through direct contact or coming in contact with the fungus in damp areas. Infected individuals do not exhale a cloud of spores that others inhale. become a clickeras we take a decisive breath tons Always of fungal spores, they are quite Harmless to most of us.
G/O Media can earn commissions
Outbreaks of fungal disease occur when people inhale a common source of fungal spores, rather than through human-to-human transmission. It cooperates with the fungus that causes it.Breathing Valley Fever spores does not make most people sick, and even if they do A cough that goes away in a few weeks. B.wood It can be a serious condition for the elderly, young children, and other susceptible people.
But that could change at any time. Most pathogenic fungi cannot cope with internal heat, which keeps us safe, some studies suggest These pathogens our the earth warms, Our body heat may not be enough to fight them off permanently. Mask, no problem.I’m sure you’ll be fine or.
To the point: A fungal disease apocalypse is unlikely in the near future, but caution is warranted.
case of bacterial pandemic
Bacterial infections are the OG of deadly disease outbreaks worldwide. Cholera, anthrax, tuberculosis, and many other devastating diseases are caused by bacteria, including bubonic plague, which he wiped out 200 million people in Europe, Africa, and Asia in the 1300s.Arguably the worst epidemic in history, in terms of percentage of population killed.
how bacterial infections spread
Bacteria are good at moving, whereverWhile the vast majority of bacteria do their job and do us no harm, deadly bacteria feed us through air, water, food, surface contact, animals, and perhaps our evil thoughts. invade us.
That’s bad news. Fortunately, most bacterial infections can be cured with antibiotics. Penicillin, the first antibiotic, was introduced in his 1920s, giving rise to many antibiotics used to treat bacterial diseases. Once major health hazards such as syphilis have all but disappeared thanks to antibiotics. If you’re unlucky, you could catch the Black Death in 2023 (an average of seven infections per year in the United States.S.), as long as they are treated with antibiotics, they will probably get well Tell a cool story. Even a deadly disease like anthrax has a 55% survival rate if treated. Of course, this is not the end of the story.
As time went on, antibiotics became less effective. Bacteria have evolved to be resistant to known antibiotics. This is probably because antibiotics have been over-prescribed to humans and livestock, leading to a resurgence of some diseases such as tuberculosis and “superbugs” that appear to be immune to antimicrobial agents. , an estimated 35,000 people die annually from antibiotic-resistant infections, and that number is likely to increase over time.
To the point: Don’t underestimate the potential for antibiotic-resistant superbacteria to overwhelm humanity.
virus pandemic case
The effects of a virus that causes a deadly disease spreading across humanity are all around us So I won’t go into detail on this point other than to point out why the virus is so cunning. Unlike bacteria and fungi, viruses are not living organisms. At least not in the same sense that other living things live. Since they are not in the living, it is more difficult (technically only) to make them in the dead.Antibiotics basically work by attacking the cell walls of bacteria, inhibiting protein production and stopping them from reproducing. Viruses hijack and replicate in our own cells, so they cannot be targeted in the same way as we are. Bacteria can be targeted.
how the virus spreads
Viruses spread basically like bacteria. Infections can even mimic the symptoms of bacterial infections (hence the overuse of antibiotics). smaller than bacteria to spread more easily—and they evolve too soon.
While they may not be technically alive, viruses are still going through the evolutionary process of natural selection and genetic mutation, and are doing it in new ways. This is why flu vaccinations change each year. In addition to normal type mutations, there is one more interesting thing they can do. It is believed that when two viruses infect the same cell, they can exchange genetic material and create new viruses.
However, there is good news. The only human disease we have completely wiped off the face of the planet, smallpox, was caused by a virus, and once-terrifying viral diseases such as polio, measles, and tetanus are rare. The white knight in the case was the vaccine. It may be difficult to attack the virus directly, but if enough people are actually vaccinated, the vaccine can “teach” our immune system to do its job. So you can prevent infection and spread in the first place. problem.
So what will trigger the next pandemic and kill us all?
Judging by the speed of development and implementation of the COVID-19 vaccine, I think viral transmission will become less of a problem within 100 years.but iA more global viral pandemic is all but inevitable in the near future, so if we had to spend money on a disease that would kill us all, I think it would be caused by a virus.
