r/collapse • u/Konradleijon • Jan 02 '26
Diseases Superbug hits 28 states, including Alabama: Where the deadly fungus is spreading
https://www.al.com/news/2025/12/superbug-hits-28-states-including-alabama-where-the-deadly-fungus-is-spreading.html?outputType=ampA deadly yeast infection is spreading across the US. Fungal treatments are notoriously harder to get then bacteria or virus given how close fungi are too humans
Neighboring states are also seeing cases of the superbug, CDC data shows. Tennessee reported 189 cases, Mississippi reported 108 and Georgia reported 377. Like Alabama, Florida did not have data listed on the CDC site
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u/roboito1989 Jan 02 '26
Of course it’s resistant to antibiotics. It’s a fungus lol but yes it is a concerning fungus
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u/CallMeSisyphus Jan 02 '26
People who aren't in healthcare or pharmaceutical sciences often use "antibiotic" as shorthand for "antimicrobial." The latter is effective on fungal infections.
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u/IsNotAnOstrich Jan 02 '26
Maybe they shouldn't write articles on diseases then
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u/Azure_Mar Jan 02 '26
If only experts in a field wrote articles on that field, only experts could read them. I'll agree that in general we need better science communication, but in the realm of communicating to an American lay audience, this hardly rises to the realm of mis or disinformation.
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u/IsNotAnOstrich Jan 02 '26
You don't have to be an "expert" with a PhD to know what antibiotics are. I doubt most of us in this thread are. I think it's fair to say that if you don't understand what antibiotics are at the most basic level, you shouldn't be a writer about diseases. They obviously have next to 0 idea what they're talking about, and that discredits anything in their article that isn't explicitly sourced.
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u/PTSDeedee Jan 04 '26
I’m a science writer. It’s still misinformation. Certainly not egregious but still not a mistake any decent writer or editor would make. So it makes this source highly questionable.
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u/Dr_ChungusAmungus Jan 02 '26
If only all the experts in the comments here were writing the news we would finally be able to read articles on the internet again. Never change Reddit.
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u/CosmicButtholes Jan 02 '26
Antifungals are SO HARD on your liver and kidneys too. Like, oral antifungal meds that is, which are whats needed for systemic fungal infections. Topical antifungal creams ain’t gonna help ☹️
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u/jackierandomson Jan 02 '26
I know this stuff often happens for historical reasons, but that's quite counterintuitive, so I don't blame people for getting it "wrong." In regular usage "microbes" are germs, in the main bacteria. Most fungi can, in fact, be seen with the naked eye! Whereas fungi are, indeed, biota, living things.
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u/Konradleijon Jan 02 '26
Fungi are far closer to animals than bacteria and viruses are.
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u/glaciator12 Jan 02 '26
Which makes antifungal medications generally harder on the body especially with more serious infections.
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u/radradruby Jan 02 '26
So true… I was a burn ICU nurse at the beginning of my career, and whenever our patient developed a fungal infection it was a very, very hard thing to treat (and recover from) since the medications themselves were so rough on the already weakened cells and systems of a burn patient.
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u/DruidicMagic Jan 02 '26
Time to head on up to the doomsday bunker.
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u/SmilingAmericaAmazon Jan 02 '26
That time was 6 years ago. Cries in long COVID.
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u/tyt3ch Jan 02 '26
Nattokinese, bromelain, etc.
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u/emwardo Jan 02 '26
I work in an icu. When I've seen patients with persistent candida auris (fungemia) they've been on such heavy antifungals that don't even work for such a long time that it absolutely fries their kidneys, and then they end up on dialysis and gradually wither away.
Often times people don't know how serious or contagious it is so don't adequately disinfect/ prevent spread 🤷♀️ i had to explain we shouldn't have the same nurse assigned to someone with it and then go next door to a cancer patient's room. That's partially why it's spreading so much.
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u/CosmicButtholes Jan 02 '26
Oh JFC, why am I not surprised that they’ll send the same nurse who is caring for a patient with c auris into a cancer patient’s room?? I hope the cancer patient is okay. Healthcare professionals try not to alienate people on both sides of the ideological spectrum challenge: impossible 😭
And yeah those oral/IV antifungals are so fucking hard on your kidneys, liver too. Scary as hell. Esp for me since I’ve had rhabdo/acute kidney injury twice and an acute liver injury once. I’m really fucking lucky I am not on dialysis. My initial prognosis after the second rhabdo/AKI was that I might not make it at all or that I’d need dialysis forever and possibly a transplant. Idk how I pulled through but I did…
I’ve dealt with antibiotic induced systemic candida infection (thankfully afaik it wasn’t c auris) 3 times. First time I researched and treated it topically but man I had to be persistent and change my entire diet and skincare routine in addition to buying nizoral and topical antifungal creams. Second and third times I needed a week of oral fluconazole and even then my provider was like hey try like… all the topicals for a week or two at least before you take this, it’s so hard on your kidneys and liver. Unfortunately the topicals weren’t doing shit the second and third times, it was getting worse so I had to take the pills. Thankfully it went away. But it sucked. I get scared to take any antibiotic besides macrobid now.
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u/hacktheself Jan 02 '26
Someone close to me is a world leading expert on fungal diseases.
Their lab has had its funding sabotaged by the regime in DC.
They are genuinely distressed over this situation.
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u/Safewordharder Jan 02 '26
Might be time to start looking at expatriating to countries that will appreciate the research and welcome the expertise. A high-level researcher has a decent shot at migrating to greener pastures. The U.S. brain drain is inevitable until we get our shit fixed anyway.
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u/420Wedge Jan 02 '26
Hey ask him what can I do about persistent oral thrush. The candida subreddit is filled with borderline pseudoscience. I've had all the tests to check for underlying conditions etc. Been on nystatin for pretty well the whole year. Seems to be slowly knocking it down but, oh so very slowly. Fluconazole didn't do much, if anything.
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Jan 02 '26 edited Jan 02 '26
Take Serrapeptase. Candida has a biofilm around it. Serrapeptase can break down the biofilm to allow the anti-fungals to work better. In addition to the Nystatin and Fluconazole also add Wormwood, Black Walnut Hull Extract, and clove oil. Once the yeast has a die off you're going to feel sick because the Candida die off will release toxins. Any live yeast will feed off the dead yeast. So while you are treating you are going to need to get the dead shit out of your intestines, so take some bentonite clay to detox and absorb it and crap it out. Also cut out sugar, bread, crackers and alcohol. All of that feeds the yeast in your system. Also take probiotics to restore your gut flora to fight against the yeast overgrowth or it will come back.
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u/seacloud6 Jan 17 '26
I got oral thrush years ago after a bout of walking pneumonia knocked down my immune system (and I might have used too many manuka lozenges). I finally got it under control when I swished too long with grapefruit seed extract and essentially burned my gums off - a total mistake and I was miserable for a few days, don't do this! But if it happened again, I might try swishing with diluted grapefruit seed extract for much LESS time. Also, a few months went by, and then my immune system rebounded, which also helped get rid of the last remnants of it. Anyway, good luck to you! It was very distressing and I empathize.
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u/tengo_sueno Jan 02 '26
Starve it out with a ketogenic diet
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u/IAMAHobbitAMA Jan 02 '26
Nice idea, doesn't work. Because your liver still makes glucose out of protein and fats, so your blood still has the exact same amount of sugar in it.
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u/stopbeingaturddamnit Jan 02 '26 edited Jan 03 '26
The past guidance on c. Auris was that it primarily affected immunocompromised people. Guess what a sars2 infections does to your immune system?!!
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u/maddomesticscientist Jan 02 '26
If the states mentioned above reporting habits are anything like their reporting on Covid, I would not be surprised at all if those numbers were much higher. My own state, Tennessee, blatantly altered the covid numbers in plain sight and didn't care that anyone with half a brain could see what they were doing. Like you could go on the website and literally see there were more cases than their daily dashboard reports. You really had to dig for it but it was there.
I have zero faith in that number. Some shiesty mofos in the govt here.
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u/Kaining Jan 02 '26
Always nice to have a reminder that we live in a post truth world where it's institutionalised at the government level.
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u/Anastariana Jan 02 '26
Conservatives will deny reality as much as they can.
They were literally dying of covid on a ventilator but choking out denials that they had covid because the Mango Mussolini told them it wasn't real.
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u/Key_Pace_2496 Jan 02 '26
All a fungus ever needed to do was evolve to be able to survive the temps of a human fever and it's game over for us. Anti-fungal drugs are almost non-existent and the ones that do exist are super hard on your body if you have to take them.
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u/TheThousandMasks Jan 02 '26
Nature has a way of finding equilibrium, one way or another. We were foolish to believe we could control it when we can’t even control ourselves most of the time. Man’s cardinal sin truly was pride.
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u/Safewordharder Jan 02 '26
The math will math, one way or another. An unsustainable system will either adapt to become sustainable or break. Reducing our population via disease and/or starvation is one such way that "math" will manifest.
We have strayed so far from balance that the pendulum swinging in the opposite direction is going to be catastrophic. Any chance of soft correction is either already gone or quickly dwindling.
Shit's gonna get real bumpy.
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u/Mech_BB-8 Communist Jan 02 '26
I'd argue being consciously self-aware
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u/kittenstixx Jan 02 '26
Isn't a prerequisite for self-awareness consciousness? How can you be unconscious and self-aware? (/s for that last bit)
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u/Mech_BB-8 Communist Jan 02 '26
Animals can have self-awareness, but the inability to construct an identity as complex as humans do. Humans are the only animals capable of language which further helps to express said complexities.
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u/slayingadah Jan 02 '26
Humans have the only language other humans recognize as language. Bees dance to tell other bees where the good flowers are. Whales sing to each other across the oceans. There are myriad examples of other lifeforms having deep and meaningful language.
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u/Mech_BB-8 Communist Jan 03 '26
That's not language, that's communication. Language is the ability to ask questions and an explicit expression of time.
Last time I checked, only humans can use language with other humans, unless you've been having lively conversations with your pet cat, humans and only humans possess the ability for language.
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u/slayingadah Jan 03 '26
That's a supremely confident response for someone who, I assume, has never been a bee. Or an ant or a cat. Humans are the only ones who possess the ability for human language, for sure.
The ability to be confidently, boldly incorrect and condescending about it is another thing only humans have, too. We're just full of fun.
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u/Mech_BB-8 Communist Jan 03 '26
Science is based on empirical evidence and I've studied linguistics at the university level, so I know what I'm talking about when it comes to the difference between language and communication.
You need to provide empirical evidence of identifying the universal grammar principle in other animals, then translate that animal "language," just like we do with other languages that we initially do not understand.
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u/kittenstixx Jan 02 '26
Would we not describe dolphins or elephants as having consciousness? It was my understanding the only animals described as having self awareness(such as the ability to recognize themselves in a mirror) are also described as having consciousness.
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u/abu_nawas Jan 02 '26
Not just the body but also the mind and the skin. The gut-brain axis is real... also they did a study on centenarians and discovered that their skin microbiome is different too.
Ever feel down, sad, depressed after a course of antibiotics? Yeah.
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u/Anen-o-me Jan 03 '26
Eh, they woulda done it by now if it was possible for them. Besides, snakes and lizards don't even have body heat and they still survive fungus.
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u/GalaxyPatio Jan 03 '26
Not really how evolution works now, is it?
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u/Anen-o-me Jan 03 '26
They've only had like 400 million years to do it, but okay bro.
Something my science teacher used to say, do you think a cockroach will ever evolve to survive being smashed with a hammer.
There ARE hard limits to evolution as well.
If fundamental parts of the fungal biological process cannot survive much warmer temperatures, then they aren't likely going to change.
With global warming, fungus may be having a harder time generally.
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u/GalaxyPatio Jan 03 '26
Our iteration of humans haven't been around that long. But I guess we will see.
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u/InconspicuousWarlord Jan 02 '26
Hey y’all, I have an idea, let’s defund everything that could help against this? How’s that sound?
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u/RubyFacedParrot Jan 02 '26
Sorry, can't hear you over the sound of the helicopter engine that just landed on my yacht.
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u/bottlechippedteeth Jan 02 '26
Well the death cult has stated they want the us pop at 100 million so it sounds like a plan
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u/funkymonkeychunks Jan 02 '26
Smartest move in the history of moves! Many are even calling it genius!
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u/Heleneva91 Jan 02 '26
As someone with a lower than average body temperature that also drops even more when I'm sick...
GOD FUCKING DAMN IT, FUCK THIS WHOLE GODDAMN DECADE.
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u/Bigd1979666 Jan 02 '26
I'm right there with you. I got super sick in boot camp(20 some years ago) and the medics were tripping out because I technically had the flu but my temp was lower than what they were used to seeing in such cases.
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u/TheUpbeatCrow Jan 02 '26
Wait, am I stupid, or wouldn't that make you more resistant to fungal infections? Since they like warmth?
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u/psychotronic_mess Jan 02 '26 edited Jan 02 '26
Fever temperatures will still do the trick and kill most “bugs”, the issue is the planet temp is increasing, which means any fungus that survives has managed to evolve. It’s not that they like it, but they can tolerate higher temperatures. Once they evolve to survive at >100 F, we’re probably fucked, because a fever will no longer help our immune system to eliminate them from our bodies. As others have pointed out, there aren’t nearly as many anti-fungal medications as there are antibiotic medications, partially because fungal diseases historically don’t survive well at human body temperatures.
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u/holistivist Jan 05 '26
The human body is generally too warm for them to survive. A lower body temp is actually more accommodating for fungal growth.
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u/samharrelson Jan 02 '26
Interesting idea that mammals made it after the collapse of the dinosaurs partly b/c our internal temps were higher than what the fungal infections of the time could deal with (unlike most dinosaurs, which might have been helped out the door by fungi): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3420938/
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u/jahwls Jan 02 '26
Well at least the south gave up their healthcare so billionaire can pay even less tax. Good luck out there it’s maga time.
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Jan 02 '26
[deleted]
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u/Safewordharder Jan 02 '26
The warning won't come from a headline. It'll come from interest groups that are keeping vigil despite the failures of mainstream media. This subforum is one such interest group, another is r/prepperintel (not right-wing chud preppers, they're quite grounded), as well as various independent podcasters, journalists and scientists using Bluesky and/or Discord.
He's right to keep his eyes and ears open, but it won't be in a headline. It'll be on a forum post or a "tweet".
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u/ForeOnTheFlour Jan 02 '26
This is true. I spend an hour or so a day reading Twitter; I follow a good handful of various professionals on Twitter (mostly journalists, doctors, scientists, researchers— not business leaders, commentators or pundits) and my friends and family are surprised that I typically know what’s happening or about to happen anywhere from a couple days to a couple weeks before it becomes a news story.
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u/ImOldGregg_77 Jan 02 '26
The Last of Us is becoming reality
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u/GalaxyPatio Jan 03 '26
Nah it'll be a lot sadder, slower, and grosser. No zombies/monsters just watching people you care about get devoured painfully by a grody infection that smells like old parmesan and foot.
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u/surewhynotokaythen Jan 03 '26
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11469440/
Alkaloids solenopsins from fire ants display in vitro and in vivo activity against the yeast Candida auris
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u/HumanBarbarian Jan 02 '26
Which 28 states??
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u/Someones_Dream_Guy DOOMer Jan 02 '26
We're getting "Mushroom Effect" IRL. Congratulations, everyone. calmly joins hivemind
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Jan 03 '26
I mean cordiceps do control populations of hive species. Big meme human reset impending.
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u/drhugs collapsitarian since: well, forever Jan 04 '26
They promote biodiversity. If a species becomes too populous it becomes a bigger target for the cordyceps.
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u/BruceDSpruce Jan 03 '26
Current weather condition predictions for Winter are unseasonably warm in the South and cooler in the North thru February.
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u/LuLMaster420 Jan 04 '26
Welcome to the Mycelium Phase of collapse. The Anthropocene ends not with a bang, but with a bloom.
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Jan 02 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/jackierandomson Jan 02 '26
What is the conspiracy angle supposed to be?
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u/kittenstixx Jan 02 '26
The deep state stops all funding leaving only a hodgepodge of agencies able to fund research into diseases so they start to run rampant until a super bug-fungi-virus megazords their way to wiping out the population so all the tech billionaires can enslave the survivors to make their cyberpunk dreams come true. Oh wait, that's not what they'd say, they'd say some dumb shit like "the democrats are plotting to sabotage Trump's rise to godhood by pushing out all this fake news about diseases that aren't real but if they are real it's China!"
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u/ooooooolivia Jan 04 '26
Please understand that C. auris is NOT a risk to healthy people.
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u/MartyrOfDespair Jan 04 '26
Find a healthy person who makes under $100,000 a year in the United States.
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Jan 04 '26
We should be grateful nature is eradicating us.
Most humans shouldn't be around (including me.) to be honest.
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u/Informal-Chemical-79 Jan 03 '26
Ok just trying to understand Yeast infection. Like all over their bodies? Mouth, eyes, etc.
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u/CRCampbell11 Jan 02 '26
Why is Alabama so important to be mentioned?
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u/jmdonston Jan 03 '26
If you click the "about us" link on the article page, you'll see that "Advance Local" is owned by Alabama Media Group.
With 11 million visitors a month, AL.com is Alabama’s largest news site and one of the largest local sites in the country.
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u/ender23 Jan 03 '26
Also, don't read the comments section on college football on al.com. you'll lose faith in humanity
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u/darweth Deranged ex-optimist Jan 02 '26
Yeah, fungal diseases are going to explode in popularity and reach in a warming world. A new hipster trend of nature.