Climate Change and the Rise and Spread of  Pathogens

Climate Change and the Rise and Spread of Pathogens

From The Infectious Science Podcast by Galveston National Laboratory

November 6, 2025 · 56 min · Season 4 · Episode 1

About this episode

The episode discusses how climate change is affecting the spread and risk of various pathogens.

Send us Fan Mail The climate isn’t just warming—it’s reorganizing the rules of biology. We explore how rising temperatures, deforestation, wildfire smoke, and thawing permafrost are reshaping the risk landscape for malaria parasites, heat-trained fungi, spillover-prone viruses, and resilient bacteria. From Kenyan highlands that became friendlier to Anopheles mosquitoes, to urban heat islands that may condition fungi to tolerate our body temperature, to the sobering lesson of Siberia’s anthrax...

Topics covered

  • climate change
  • pathogens
  • malaria
  • fungi
  • viruses
  • bacteria
  • public health

Keywords

  • climate change
  • pathogens
  • malaria
  • fungi
  • viruses
  • bacteria
  • public health
  • deforestation
  • wildfire smoke
  • thawing permafrost

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Kenyan highlands, Siberia

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