Is the emergence of fungal resistance to medical triazoles related to their use in the agroecosystems? A mini review

Abstract

Triazole fungicides are used broadly for the control of infectious diseases of both humans and plants. The surge in resistance to triazoles among pathogenic populations is an emergent issue both in agriculture and medicine. The non-rational use of fungicides with site-specific modes of action, such as the triazoles, may increase the risk of antifungal resistance development. In the medical field, the surge of resistant fungal isolates has been related to the intensive and recurrent therapeutic use of a limited number of triazoles for the treatment and prophylaxis of many mycoses. Similarities in the mode of action of triazole fungicides used in these two fields may lead to cross-resistance, thus expanding the spectrum of resistance to multiple fungicides and contributing to the perpetuation of resistant strains in the environment. The emergence of fungicide-resistant isolates of human pathogens has been related to the exposure to fungicides used in agroecosystems. Examples include species of cosmopolitan occurrence, such as Fusarium and Aspergillus, which cause diseases in both plants and humans. This review summarizes the information about the most important triazole fungicides that are largely used in human clinical therapy and agriculture. We aim to discuss the issues related to fungicide resistance and the recommended strategies for preventing the emergence of triazole-resistant fungal populations capable of spreading across environments.

Parallel evolution of multiple mechanisms for demethylase inhibitor fungicide resistance in the barley pathogenPyrenophora teresf. sp.maculata

“…Resistance to DMI fungicides is an increasing concern in both the field and the clinic (Ribas E Ribas et al 2016). Four main mechanisms have been observed for resistance to DMI fungicides in filamentous fungi (Ziogas and Malandrakis 2015): i) Increased efflux.…”

Bibliometric analysis of literature on antifungal triazole resistance: 1980 – 2015

“…Some studies have attributed resistance in Aspergillus partially to use of azole antifungal agents in agriculture. 1,25 Similar to Candida, Aspergillus infections associate increased mortality and costs. [26][27][28] The global prevalence of triazole resistance in Aspergillus still remains low but an unexpected rise in resistance is a possibility.…”

A nuclear contortionist: the mitotic migration ofMagnaporthe oryzaenuclei during plant infection

“…M. oryzae represents one of the most significant threats to global food production, and resistance to fungicides such as azoles is increasing (Ribas e Ribas et al 2016). Investigating nuclear migration in M. oryzae during plant infection will likely identify fungal-specific cellular targets to halt nuclear migration and thereby prevent infection progression.…”

“…In fact, each year M. oryzae causes an estimated $66 billion in economic damage to rice crops, destroying enough food to have fed 60 million people (Pennisi 2010). In the field, M. oryzae is developing increased resistance to commonly used fungicides (Ribas e Ribas et al 2016) and, recently, wheat blast emerged in Bangladesh (Islam et al 2016; Malaker et al 2016). Understanding cellular processes unique to M. oryzae is an important first step in the development of novel and effective methods to control the deadly plant pathogen and ensure global food security.…”