Aspergillus collected in specific indoor settings: their molecular identification and susceptibility pattern

Abstract

Exposure to Aspergillus conidia is an increased risk factor for the development of respiratory symptoms. The emergence of azole resistance in Aspergillus fumigatus is a major concern for the scientific community. The aim of this study was to perform the molecular identification of Aspergillus species collected from different occupational and nonoccupational indoor settings and to study the azole susceptibility profile of the collected Fumigati isolates. The selected Aspergillus isolates were identified as belonging to the sections Fumigati, Nigri Versicolores, Terrei, Clavati and Nidulantes. All the Aspergillus fumigatus were screened for azole resistance using an agar media supplemented with itraconazole, voriconazole and posaconazole. None of the tested isolates showed resistance to those azoles. Knowledge of Aspergillus epidemiology in specific indoor environments allows a better risk characterization regarding Aspergillus burden. This study allowed the analysis of the molecular epidemiology and the determination of the susceptibility pattern of Aspergillus section Fumigati found in the studied indoor settings. ARTICLE HISTORY

Electrostatic Dust Cloth: A Useful Passive Sampling Method When Assessing Exposure to Fungi Demonstrated in Studies Developed in Portugal (2018–2021)

“…In all studies, the fungal contamination was characterized focusing on Aspergillus genera due to clinical and toxicological relevance from the Aspergillus sections [ 12 , 21 ], EDC provided information concerning fungal azole resistance in all the performed studies presented in Table 1 , unveiling more data regarding this public and occupational health threat. Additionally, it was also possible to focus on Aspergillus sections indoors [ 12 , 21 ], as well as other fungal species, providing a more complete fungal characterization with a wider number of different fungal species being identified than the other active and passive sampling methods [ 13 , 14 , 17 , 18 , 20 , 31 ]. Although the bakeries setting presented the highest fungal contamination due to the role as contamination sources of the raw materials [ 10 , 14 ], the setting presenting the highest Aspergillus sp.…”

Cytotoxicity of Aspergillus Section Fumigati Isolated from Health Care Environments

“…Unfortunately, the section Fumigati was classified based on macroscopic and microscopic characteristics and because of that it was impossible to identify the species among the section. However, in previous studies held by the same team also with environmental isolates from different indoor environments, results revealed a good correlation between phenotypic and molecular identification [19,64]. Further studies should comprehend molecular identification of Aspergillus isolates and cytotoxicity analyses.…”

Loading Rates of Dust and Bioburden in Dwellings in an Inland City of Southern Europe

“…It is also important to have information on the microbiome outdoors in order to determine the origin of azole resistance. Other fungal species observed in VOR media, such as Aspergillus sp., raise concern on the origin of fungal resistance and its implications for human health [8][9][10][12][13][14]58,65,66].…”

“…The fact that they were able to grow in a fixed concentration of posaconazole is of concern for Aspergillus sp. and must be further explored in order to determine fungal susceptibility and consequent risk for the health of house inhabitants, especially if immunocompromised or with respiratory diseases [13,14]. It was possible to obtain information on the housing typologies and characteristics that most influence microbial contamination, including azole resistance.…”

“…Recent studies have also documented the emerging worldwide problem of azole drug resistance of A. fumigatus isolates [8][9][10][11][12]. The prevalence of azole resistant fungi in dwellings, especially in homes of immunocompromised individuals or patients with respiratory diseases, represents a significant health risk that supports the need for assessments of the prevalence of azole resistance in indoor environments of different regions [13,14].…”