The annual total of deaths from fungal disease worldwide has risen to 3.75 million, double the previous estimate, according to a new study.

In a paper, titled “Global incidence and mortality of severe fungal disease” published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, David Denning, a professor of infectious disease at The University of Manchester also calculates an annual total at about 6.55 million acute cases using data from over 80 countries.

Though fungal disease has multiple causes, the updated mortality figures nevertheless dwarf deaths from other single pathogens, killing six times more people than malaria, and almost three times as many than tuberculosis.

The work is the result of a collaboration of over 300 professionals across the world who contributed to published estimates for their country and individual fungal diseases.