A citizen science project to investigate environmental yeasts in urban soils – FungiSol

The world of microscopic fungi, their biodiversity and their impact on human health remain largely unknown to the general public, despite the fact that they are responsible for nearly 1.5 million deaths worldwide each year - more than malaria or tuberculosis. In addition, superficial mycoses affect the quality of life of an even greater number of people. In medicine, fungi play a crucial role: after plants, they are the main producers of antimicrobials, drugs that are still not available in sufficient numbers to effectively combat infectious diseases.
Until now, very little attention has been paid to soil fungal biodiversity. However, recent research has shown that several species of yeast, that are potentially pathogenic to humans, are also present in the environment. What's more, climate change may favor the emergence of new pathogenic species, such as Candida auris.
The FungiSol project aims to describe the biodiversity of urban soils in terms of yeasts, by isolating and identifying the yeast species present in the soils of Nantes elementary schools. Particular attention will be paid to new species and species of interest to human health, by assessing their sensitivity to current antifungal treatments and characterizing the soils in which they are found. This project stands out for its original and innovative participatory research approach. Children from eight elementary schools (CM1/CM2) in the city of Nantes will be involved alongside the researchers. They will develop and carry out experimental protocols, thus contributing directly to the advancement of knowledge.
The project is based on a unique partnership between Nantes University's IICiMed laboratory (UR1155), renowned for its expertise in medical mycology and, in particular, in understanding resistance to antifungal agents, and the Séquoia unit of Nantes' Education Department specialized in scientific mediation in elementary schools. Bringing citizens and researchers together around the FungiSol project represents a unique opportunity to raise public awareness of medical mycology, to accelerate scientific research in this field which represents a major societal challenge, and to be part of a One Health approach, that integrates aspects of human and environmental health.