Prelims: Current events of national and international importance
Why in news?
Recently researchers from Fudan University, Shanghai discovered that the use of agricultural fungicide tebuconazole is linked to increasing azole-resistant C. tropicalis infections.
- About Candida tropicalis – It is an important fungal pathogen in India and globally and it can cause serious illness, especially in people with weak immunity.
- It causes severe infections with 55-60% mortality rate.
- Treatment – It is treated using antifungal drugs from the azole group, especially fluconazole and voriconazole.
- Recent Findings – Many strains (types) of Candida tropicalis are becoming resistant to these medicines.
- This means the medicines are not working as effectively, making the infection harder to treat.
- Tebuconazole is structurally similar to medical azoles and accumulates in the environment, promoting resistant strains.
Mechanism of Resistance
- A fungicide called Tebuconazole is widely used by farmers to protect crops.
- This fungicide belongs to the same chemical family (Azoles) as the medicines used for treatment.
- Over time, the fungus gets used to this chemical in the environment, and develops resistance.
- This resistance makes the fungus stronger and harder to kill with medical drugs.
- When Candida tropicalis is exposed to tebuconazole, it undergoes genetic changes called aneuploidy.
Aneuploidy means the fungus changes its number of chromosomes (genetic material), which helps it survive the chemicals.
- These changes make the fungus more resistant to medical drugs like fluconazole and voriconazole and more dangerous and harder to treat.
- Implications – Overuse of such fungicides in farming can lead to more drug-resistant infections in humans.
- These infections are harder to treat, can spread, and increase health risks.
- The situation is an example of how what happens in agriculture can affect human health directly.
- Study reinforces the One Health principle where agricultural practices impact human health.
- It highlights need for,
- Regulating agricultural fungicide use.
- Monitoring environmental reservoirs of drug resistance.
- Global cooperation to combat emerging fungal threats.
Reference
The Hindu| Fungicide Driving Candida tropicalis Drug Resistance
