Study Highlights Underrecognized Risk of Invasive Mold Infections in the U.S.

A new study in the U.S. points to invasive mold infections as a possibly underestimated and serious risk.

Researchers recorded around 450 cases in hospitals across the Atlanta area over a five-year span, with approximately a third resulting in patient deaths.

The findings, released this week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, aim to shed light on the prevalence of such infections. Notably, doctors aren’t mandated to report these illnesses.

“This is perhaps the first time we’ve gotten an estimate like this,” remarked Dr. Jeremy Gold from the CDC, who was the senior author of the study.

Understanding this issue is becoming increasingly crucial, especially as expert forecasts suggest it could worsen in the future. Mold exposure tends to increase following hurricanes, floods, and other climate-related disasters, researchers have observed.

“I think the likelihood of fungal infections will rise due to climate change,” commented Dr. Jeffrey Jenks, an infectious disease expert at Duke University.

Additionally, there’s a growing demographic of older adults, who are notably more vulnerable to these infections, according to Gold.

Invasive mold diseases stem from specific species of fungi and are relatively rare. Most infections happen when individuals inhale mold spores, though they can also enter through wounds or contaminated medical tools.

While most people don’t face health issues due to these spores, they can pose severe dangers to certain groups, including older individuals, cancer patients, and those with compromised immune systems.

Previously, CDC researchers estimated over 15,000 hospital admissions annually might be linked to invasive mold illness.

To gain insight into local case rates, the research team collaborated with four hospitals around Atlanta and their outpatient clinics, examining potential cases from 2020 to 2024.

Initially identifying nearly 1,000 possible cases, the researchers narrowed it down to about 450 after excluding individuals who showed signs of exposure but didn’t meet the criteria for invasive mold disease.

The data suggest that hospitals may see about 3 to 5 cases yearly for every 100 inpatient beds, with larger academic hospitals experiencing higher rates due to more complex cases.

Many patients involved had weakened immune systems or, in some situations, had recently recovered from COVID-19.

Mold exposure can happen in hospitals and healthcare settings, though the study did not identify where each patient was initially exposed, according to Gold.

It’s challenging to generalize findings from the Atlanta area to other regions, as mold issues may vary. However, Gold argued it provides hospital administrators with a rough benchmark — an idea of whether the cases they see align with expected levels or indicate an outbreak.

Jenks deemed the findings “valuable,” suggesting that discovering similar results in different parts of the U.S. would also be beneficial.