Massive overlap of soil-borne fungal pathogens and developed countries

Fungal pathogens are an escalating global concern due to rising incidence, limited treatment options, and growing antifungal resistance. Soils are major reservoirs of fungal diversity, yet the ecology, distribution, and human exposure risk of soil-borne pathogens remain poorly understood. Here, we present the first global atlas of soil-borne human fungal pathogens, based on high-resolution PacBio sequencing of 3,200 soil samples from 108 countries across all continents. Clinically relevant species such as Candida tropicalis and Fusarium solani exhibit distinct geographic patterns, with C. tropicalis enriched in tropical regions and F. solani more common in temperate and continental zones. Temperature and aridity emerge as key environmental drivers, selecting for thermotolerant and stress-resilient taxa in areas already under climate stress and with limited healthcare infrastructure. By integrating environmental and socioeconomic data, we identify a dual-risk scenario: fungal burden is currently highest in major economies, while sharp future increases are projected in densely populated regions of Africa and Asia, including India and Southeast Asia. Conversely, some tropical areas of South America may see stable or declining trends. Our findings call for a global One Health approach to fungal surveillance, highlighting the need for early detection and region-specific risk mitigation in the face of climate change.