Pesticides found to cause resistance to antifungal drugs

Infectious disease experts George Thompson and Angel Desai of the University of California, Davis (USA) are sounding the alarm about the role pesticides may play in antifungal drug resistance. The scientists call for a coordinated global approach to the development, testing and use of tools to combat pathogens such as fungi and bacteria. In addition, the scientists’ work has led to the creation of the Interagency Working Group on Drug and Pesticide Resistance and Effectiveness, a new organization of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The group’s task is to analyze all future compounds that must receive approval for use from the agency, including determining the potential impact on medical practice. Thompson and Desai said the effort needs to be undertaken internationally.

“We know that the widespread use of antibiotics in livestock has led to the rapid development of antibiotic resistance. We have similar concerns about the use of antifungal drugs in the environment,” says George Thompson. Pesticides cause resistant fungi to survive and multiply in the environment, which can threaten human health. For example, the use of some fungicides in agriculture has led to the spread of resistant fungal infections in Europe. Cases of aspergillosis caused by resistant species of Aspergillus fungi and associated with fungicide use have been found on six continents.

A separate problem is the obvious need for new compounds, given the high mortality rate due to fungal infections and resistance to antimycotics. Two new classes of antifungal agents are now being actively developed: orotomides (Olorophimus) and Gwt1 inhibitors (Fosmanogepix). However, similar fungicides have recently undergone registration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (ipflufenoquine, which has the same mechanism of action as olorophim) or are at a late stage of development (aminopyrifene, which has the same mechanism of action as fosmanogepix). The use of these agents and similar substances in agriculture could threaten the efficacy of vital antifungal drugs.

Fungal infections pose a significant burden to humans, animals, and plants. Approximately 75,000 hospitalizations and 9 million outpatient visits related to fungal diseases occur annually in the U.S., and the medical costs of treating such conditions are estimated at $6.7-7.5 billion annually. In addition, fungal plant pathogens cause 10 to 20 percent of crop yield loss, which is estimated to cost between 100 and 200 billion dollars per year. This burden is expected to grow in the context of rising global temperatures and the spread of resistance to antifungal drugs.

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Published: 12.06.2025

Updated: 11.06.2025

Medical author, Medical editor:

Stepan Yuk

Medical expert:

PhD. Olexandr Voznyak