Physiological Response

 “Increasing complexity causes narrower thermal windows or whole-organism functions than for cellsand molecules, and for animals and plants than for unicellular organisms (Portner and Farell, 2008). Thus, unicellular bacteria that cause disease are at an advantage and “as ecosystems change, the burden of invasive fungal disease may increase" (Greer et al., 2008). Optimum conditions for spore dispersal of Blastomyces dermatidis includes dry summers and heavy precipitation in the winter. This fungus is known to cause disease of the lungs, skin and bones. Unfortunately, North America is predicted to host this optimum climate and thus is expected to see an increase in this disease.  Increased temperature is expected to positively impact the fitness of pathogens associated with water borne diseases. “All organisms live within a limited range of body temperatures, due to optimized structural and kinetic coordination of molecular, cellular, and systemic processes” (Portner and Farrell, 2008). The survival of disease-causing organisms is directly influenced by temperature; as temperature increases, it gets closer to the optimum thermal temperature of pathogen growth. Also, as climate warms, the amount of nutrients in inland bodies of water amplifies as well. “Higher lake and ocean temperatures will cause bacteria, parasites and algal blooms to flourish” (WashingtonPost.com) “Survival and persistence of disease-causing organisms is directly influenced by temperature” and “increased air and water temperatures improve the survival and proliferation of some pathogens” (Greer et al., 2008). Cyanobacteria "have been implicated in causing various clinical syndromes such as dermatitis, respiratory problems and hepatitis" after having contact with infected water, such as bathing (Hunter, 2003). These warm, dry summers along with higher levels of rainfall in the winter create optimal conditions for the growth and evolution of infectious fungal spores. In addition, “increased precipitation may support a growth in food supplies which in turn support a greater population of vertebrate reservoirs” (Patz, 2008). 

Blastomyces dermatitidis

Cyanobacteria