Unravelling the Molecular Identification and Antifungal Susceptibility Profiles of Aspergillus spp. Isolated from Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis Patients in Jakarta, Indonesia: The Emergence of Cryptic Species

Abstract

Cryptic species of Aspergillus have rapidly increased in the last few decades. Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) is a debilitating fungal infection frequently affecting patients with previous TB. The identification and antifungal susceptibility profiles of different species of Aspergillus are important to support the management of CPA. The aim of this study was to describe the molecular and susceptibility profiles of Aspergillus isolated from CPA patients. The species identity of isolates was determined by combined DNA analyses of internal transcribed space (ITS), partial β-tubulin genes, and part of the calmodulin gene. We revealed a high (27%) prevalence of cryptic species among previous tuberculosis patients with persistent symptoms. Twenty-nine (49%) patients met the criteria for diagnosis of CPA with 24% containing Aspergillus cryptic species. This is the first report of five cryptic Aspergillus species from clinical isolates in Indonesia: A. aculea tus, A. neoniger, A. brunneoviolacues, A. welwitschiae, and A. tubingensis. Significantly, there was decreased sensitivity against itraconazole in the CPA group (66% susceptible to itraconazole) compared to the non-CPA group (90% susceptible to itraconazole) (p = 0.003). The species-level characterisation of Aspergillus and its antifungal susceptibility tests demands greater attention to better the management of CPA patients.

In vitro Antimicrobial Activity of Secondary Metabolites of an Endophytic Aspergillus brunneoviolaceus Isolated from Bryophyllum pinnatum (Lam.) Oken

“…brunneoviolaceus thrives in a variety of environments. This fungus has previously been isolated from food, soil, water, plants, animal droppings, industrial material, indoor air environment, corneal scrapings, and human sputum (Rozaliyani et al, 2022;Mistry et al, 2021;Ezekiel et al, 2020a;Ezekiel et al, 2020b;Jurjević et al, 2012;Varga et al 2011).…”

Novel Treatment Approach for Aspergilloses by Targeting Germination

“…The main cause of IPA is A. fumigatus (with 57%), while other species, such as A. flavus , A. niger and A. terreus were found in about 12%, 10% and 12% of the cases, respectively, although these numbers can vary between countries [ 4 ]. In addition, infections with cryptic species of Aspergillus have been increasingly identified in clinical settings in the last few decades [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]. What is more, Aspergilli reside on crops such as nuts, grains, beans, and dried fruits, which leads to spoilage [ 14 ].…”