Brain-infecting fungus that can kill 7 in 10 patients is on the rise across America

NOBODY IS TALKING ABOUT THIS ENOUGH, AND IT IS HONESTLY SCARIER THAN RUNNING OUT OF COFFEE ON A MONDAY. SO THERE IS THIS BLACK MOLD CALLED CLADOSPHIALLOPHORA BANTIANA THAT IS LITERALLY INFECTING BRAINS ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND IT IS SUPER DANGEROUS BECAUSE SIX OR SEVEN OUT OF EVERY TEN PEOPLE WHO GET IT DO NOT SURVIVE, WHICH IS WILD. DETECTIONS OF THIS THING NEARLY QUADRUPLED BETWEEN 2023 AND 2025. THE CDC IS REPORTING 49 TOTAL CASES SINCE 2009 ACROSS 21 STATES PLUS DC. THE WEIRD PART? IT DOES NOT JUST HIT PEOPLE WITH WEAK IMMUNE SYSTEMS—ABOUT HALF THESE PATIENTS WERE PERFECTLY HEALTHY PEOPLE. THEY ARE JUST FINDING THIS STUFF IN TISSUE SAMPLES NOW. PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS ARE PANICKING AND CALLING FOR TRACKING. ANYWAY WHERE DID EVERYONE GO?

RIGHT I NEED THIRTY SECONDS OF YOUR LIFE BECAUSE THIS MOLD IS THE REAL DEAL. THERE IS A FUNGUS CALLED CLADOSPHIALLOPHORA BANTIANA THAT TARGETS THE BRAIN AND IT HAS A FATALITY RATE OF 60-70 PERCENT, WHICH IS INSANE. DATA FROM A LAB AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON SHOWS CASES HAVE NEARLY QUADRUPLED IN JUST TWO YEARS. WE ARE TALKING 49 CASES IDENTIFIED OVER THE LAST SEVENTEEN YEARS ACROSS 21 STATES. MOST PEOPLE AFFECTED ARE OLDER, WITH A MEDIAN AGE OF 68, BUT HALF OF THEM HAD NO IMMUNE SYSTEM ISSUES BEFOREHAND. EXPERTS ARE SCREAMING FOR MORE MONITORING BECAUSE THIS STUFF IS SPREADING AND THEY ARE NOT SURE WHY. IT IS NOT THE FAMOUS BRAIN-EATING AMOEBA, BUT THIS MOLD IS SERIOUS BUSINESS. ANYWAY REMEMBER I TOLD YOU FIRST.

A brain-infecting black mold called Cladophialophora bantiana, which carries a 60-70% fatality rate, has seen its detection rates nearly quadruple in the U.S. between 2023 and 2025.

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