WHO fungal priority pathogens list to guide research, development and public health action

https://www.who.int//publications/i/item/9789240060241

WHO releases first-ever list of health-threatening fungi

The WHO fungal priority pathogens list (WHO FPPL) is the first global effort to systematically prioritize fungal pathogens, considering their unmet research and development (R&D) needs and perceived public health importance

Divided into priority categories of Critical, High, and Medium based on weightings that considered factors such as deaths, annual incidence, resistance, and others based on input from multiple societies and expert groups (see the report), the WHO names 19 fungi (or groups of fungi) in this first fungus-focused PPL:

1. Critical
   1. Cryptococcus neoformans
   2. Candida auris
   3. Aspergillus fumigatus
   4. Candida albicans
2. High
   1. Nakaseomyces glabrata (Candida glabrata)
   2. Histoplasma spp.
   3. Eumycetoma causative agents
   4. Mucorales
   5. Fusarium spp.
   6. Candida tropicalis
   7. Candida parapsilosis
3. Medium
   1. Scedosporium spp.
   2. Lomentospora prolificans
   3. Coccidioides spp.
   4. Pichia kudriavzeveii (Candida krusei)
   5. Cryptococcus gattii
   6. Talaromyces marneffei
   7. Pneumocystis jirovecii
   8. Paracoccidioides spp.

The authors of the report comment that (i) the ranking was heavily influenced by public health impact and antifungal resistance, (ii) there are major knowledge gaps on global burden, and (iii) the distribution/epidemiology of the fungi varied by region.