2023-06-27 18:07:15
The warmer the Baltic Sea, the greater the risk of becoming infected with vibrios. But bacteria, viruses and fungi are also spreading in Saxony, infection medicine experts warned at a congress in Leipzig.
Fever, joint pain, blood poisoning: According to scientists, climate change is preparing the ground for new viruses, bacteria and fungi that can be dangerous to humans. Because with increasing temperatures, exotic carriers feel more and more comfortable with us. At a congress for infectious diseases and tropical medicine in Leipzig, doctors presented five diseases that are spreading due to climate change.
1. Sepsis due to vibrios
Last midsummer, many Baltic Sea resorts warned of vibrios. Because their home are seas with low salt content and brackish water, especially warm. The bacterium Vibrio vulnificus, as it is scientifically called, becomes active from a water temperature of 20 degrees Celsius and remains so for several weeks when the temperature drops again. The problem: Vibrios penetrate the skin even through small injuries and can, albeit rarely, cause severe inflammation with tumors. An infection can also end in blood poisoning and thus become life-threatening. People with weakened immune systems and people with poorly healing wounds are particularly at risk. Nine Vibrio infections were reported to the Mecklenburg State Office for Health last year.
At the moment, the Baltic Sea water is not permanently warm enough for you to be able to swim with peace of mind. However, the Kiel health department has already measured 20 degrees at some bathing spots this week and urges caution. Vibrios also lurk in raw fish and mussels. The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment therefore advises heating sea animals sufficiently before consumption in order to kill pathogens. In the case of vibrios, at least 70 degrees Celsius are required for two minutes.
2. West Nile fever
West Nile fever is a viral disease that comes from Africa. According to the Robert Koch Institute, it has been spreading in southern Europe and Turkey for several years, and the Balkans are also affected. In 2019, the first person in Germany fell ill in Leipzig. Last year there were 19 nationwide, five of them in Saxony. The number of unreported cases is likely to be significantly larger. “Because most cases are without major symptoms, and if they do, they resemble the flu,” says tropical medicine specialist Schmidt-Chanasit. “We estimate that about every hundredth infected person becomes seriously ill, some even develop meningitis, i.e. meningitis, or encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain tissue itself.”
West Nile virus is transmitted by mosquitoes. Here’s the problem: the pathogen no longer needs exotic representatives such as the Asian tiger mosquito to spread, but is now also found in native mosquitoes. Birds and other animals, such as horses, can also contract West Nile virus. There is a vaccine for horses, but not for humans.
3. Dengue fever
In Great Britain it is called “break-bone fever”. This name pretty well describes the main symptoms of dengue – severe headache, bone and body pain. This is accompanied by a high fever and skin rash. The viral disease is primarily an unwanted souvenir from the tropics and subtropics, especially from South America. When there was still a lot of travel before the corona pandemic, around 2019, there were 50 infected people in Germany according to the RKI, last year there were eleven, this year there are already 15.
Since many dengue diseases are asymptomatic, dengue could have spread much further in Germany than is known. “No one in this country has to expect an explosive increase in infections,” says Schmidt-Chanasit. However, the numbers in the Federal Republic would definitely increase. This is because the Asian tiger mosquito, which is the main vector of dengue along with the yellow fever mosquito, is becoming increasingly common in Germany. And even native mosquitoes are not immune to passing on the tropical disease. In contrast to the West Nile fever virus, they can pick up the dengue pathogen from sick people. A new live vaccine has been approved in Germany since February. The Standing Vaccination Commission is currently examining a vaccination recommendation for travelers to dengue-endemic areas.
4. Chikungunya fever
Against the Chikungunya fever, which originates from the tropics, there are still no final studies before a vaccine can be approved. This disease is also transmitted by tiger and yellow fever mosquitoes and is similar to dengue in symptoms such as high fever, severe body aches and occasional skin rashes. However, the Chikungunya virus is much less common in Germany. So far one person has fallen ill in Saxony this year, as well as last year – at least according to the data reported to the Robert Koch Institute. Chikungunya fever can be so mild that sufferers don’t even notice. However, if an infected person is bitten by a mosquito, this carries the pathogen on.
5. Fungal infections caused by Candida auris
The yeast fungus Candida auris is the youngest of the group of pathogens for which climate change is preparing the ground. First detected in the ear canal of a Japanese woman in 2009, it has been spreading at breakneck speed since then, especially in the USA, where it is already regarded as an “urgent threat” in hospitals. Because if Candida auris gets into the human body, for example through smear infections, it can cause serious illnesses and attack the central nervous system.
In Germany, too, infections with the yeast fungus are increasing. “Since 2015, around 40 cases have occurred, half of them in the past two years,” says Alexander Aldejohann from the Institute for Hygiene and Microbiology in Würzburg. His research team suspects that increasing global warming has caused Candida auris to adapt to higher temperatures, such as those prevailing in our bodies. In addition, the fungus is unimpressed by most antifungal agents.
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