RISUD Research Seminar: The Global Spore Factory: From Spores to Surveillance in a Changing World

Modern human activity has inadvertently become one of the most powerful forces driving the evolution, amplification and global dispersal of pathogenic fungi. In this lecture, I will explore how agriculture, urbanisation, climate change and global trade have together created a vast, decentralised “Global Spore Factory” that is reshaping fungal threats to human, animal and ecosystem health. Drawing on examples ranging from the emergence of antifungal-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus in agricultural environments, to the global panzootic spread of amphibian chytridiomycosis, and changing human exposure to indoor moulds in increasingly energy-efficient buildings, I will show how environmental change is altering where, when and how people and wildlife encounter fungal pathogens. 

I will highlight how population genomics, barcoded lineage experiments, environmental surveillance, bioaerosol monitoring and predictive modelling are revealing the evolutionary and ecological processes underpinning these emerging threats. Finally, I will discuss how genomic surveillance, smarter environmental management and One Health policies can help redesign our interactions with the built and natural environment to reduce fungal disease risk. Understanding—and ultimately reimagining—the Global Spore Factory is becoming central to protecting biodiversity, improving human health, and preserving the effectiveness of antifungal therapies in a rapidly changing world.

Biography

Prof. Matthew FISHER