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Microorganisms
Special Issues
Drug Resistance in Aspergillus species: Epidemiology and Environmental Origins
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Drug Resistance in Aspergillus species: Epidemiology and Environmental Origins

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Antimicrobial Agents and Resistance".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 October 2021) | Viewed by 7854

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Carla Viegas

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Guest Editor
1. H & TRC—Health & Technology Research Center, ESTeSL—Escola Superior de Tecnologia e Saúde, Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, 1990-096 Lisbon, Portugal
2. Public Health Research Centre, NOVA National School of Public Health, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 1099-085 Lisbon, Portugal
3. Comprehensive Health Research Center (CHRC), NOVA Medical School, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 1169-056 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: fungal occupational exposure; indoor air quality; aspergillus epidemiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Liliana Aranha Caetano

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. H&TRC—Health & Technology Research Center, ESTeSL—Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde, Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, 1990-096 Lisbon, Portugal
2. Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: azole resistance; biotechnology; mycobiota; Aspergillus spp.
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Aspergillus species are filamentous fungi usually found in soil, decomposing vegetation, seeds and grains, where they thrive as saprophytes. Most Aspergillus species are observed in a wide variety of indoor environments, and some are opportunistic human pathogens. Aspergillus conidia are ubiquitous and easily dispersed in the air, due to their size range. These characteristics make them easily inhaled and capable of colonizing the upper and lower respiratory tracts of exposed individuals. The size of the conidia, as well as the consequent infectiousness, depends on the species of Aspergillus. The development of antifungal resistance among Aspergillus spp., particularly in the Fumigati section, is a phenomena with increasing prevalence worldwide that has been linked to therapeutic failure in fungal diseases and high mortality rates. Of note, recent studies describe the failure of antifungal treatments due to fungal resistance with an environmental origin, unrelated to the course of antifungal treatment or prophylaxis.

In this Special Issue, we look forward to receive your contributions in the form of original research or review articles that will update the different perspectives of Aspergillus resistance to antifungal drugs: from the presence in different environmental compartments to human exposure in different settings. Reports of prevention and intervention actions to address antifungal resistance as a threat to public and occupational health are also welcome.

Dr. Carla Viegas
Dr. Liliana Aranha Caetano
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 1535 KiB  
Article
Epidemiological Studies of Pan-Azole Resistant Aspergillus fumigatus Populations Sampled during Tulip Cultivation Show Clonal Expansion with Acquisition of Multi-Fungicide Resistance as Potential Driver
by Bart A. Fraaije, Sarah L. Atkins, Ricardo F. Santos, Steven J. Hanley, Jonathan S. West and John A. Lucas
Microorganisms 2021, 9(11), 2379; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9112379 - 18 Nov 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2193
Abstract
Pan-azole resistant isolates are found in clinical and environmental Aspergillus fumigatus (Af) populations. Azole resistance can evolve in both settings, with Af directly targeted by antifungals in patients and, in the environment, Af unintendedly exposed to fungicides used for material preservation [...] Read more.
Pan-azole resistant isolates are found in clinical and environmental Aspergillus fumigatus (Af) populations. Azole resistance can evolve in both settings, with Af directly targeted by antifungals in patients and, in the environment, Af unintendedly exposed to fungicides used for material preservation and plant disease control. Resistance to non-azole fungicides, including methyl benzimidazole carbamates (MBCs), quinone outside inhibitors (QoIs) and succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors (SDHIs), has recently been reported. These fungicide groups are not used in medicine but can play an important role in the further spread of pan-azole resistant genotypes. We investigated the multi-fungicide resistance status and the genetic diversity of Af populations sampled from tulip field soils, tulip peel waste and flower compost heaps using fungicide sensitivity testing and a range of genotyping tools, including STRAf typing and sequencing of fungicide resistant alleles. Two major clones were present in the tulip bulb population. Comparisons with clinical isolates and literature data revealed that several common clonal lineages of TR34/L98H and TR46/Y121F/T289A strains that have expanded successfully in the environment have also acquired resistance to MBC, QoI and/or SDHI fungicides. Strains carrying multiple fungicide resistant alleles have a competitive advantage in environments where residues of multiple fungicides belonging to different modes of action are present. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Drug Resistance in Aspergillus species: Epidemiology and Environmental Origins)
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16 pages, 2241 KiB  
Article
Aspergillus Section Fumigati in Firefighter Headquarters
by Carla Viegas, Bianca Gomes, Marta Dias, Elisabete Carolino and Liliana Aranha Caetano
Microorganisms 2021, 9(10), 2112; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9102112 - 07 Oct 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2064
Abstract
Background: Aspergillus section Fumigati is one of the Aspergillus sections more frequently related to respiratory symptoms and by other health outcomes. This study aimed to characterize Aspergillus section Fumigati distribution in eleven firefighter headquarters (FFHs) to obtain an accurate occupational exposure assessment. Methods: [...] Read more.
Background: Aspergillus section Fumigati is one of the Aspergillus sections more frequently related to respiratory symptoms and by other health outcomes. This study aimed to characterize Aspergillus section Fumigati distribution in eleven firefighter headquarters (FFHs) to obtain an accurate occupational exposure assessment. Methods: A sampling approach protocol was performed using active (impaction method) and passive sampling methods (floor surfaces swabs, electrostatic dust collectors (EDCs), and settled dust). All samples were analysed by culture-based methods and passive sampling was used for molecular detection of Aspergillus section Fumigati. Results: Of all the matrices, the highest counts of Aspergillus sp. were obtained on settled dust filters (3.37% malt extract agar—MEA, 19.09% dichloran glycerol—DG18) followed by cleaning cloths (1.67% MEA; 7.07% DG18). Among the Aspergillus genus, the Fumigati section was predominant in Millipore and EDC samples in MEA (79.77% and 28.57%, respectively), and in swabs and settled dust filters in DG18 (44.76% and 30%, respectively). The Fumigati section was detected more frequently in DG18 (33.01%) compared to MEA (0.33%). The Fumigati section was observed in azole supplemented media (itraconazole and voriconazole) in several passive sampling methods employed and detected by qPCR in almost all passive samples, with EDCs being the matrix with the highest prevalence (n = 61; 67.8%). Conclusion: This study confirms that Aspergillus sp. is widespread and the Fumigati section is present in all FFHs. The presence of fungi potentially resistant to azoles in the FFHs was also observed. Further studies are needed to identify the best corrective and preventive measures to avoid this section contamination in this specific occupational environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Drug Resistance in Aspergillus species: Epidemiology and Environmental Origins)
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Review

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18 pages, 383 KiB  
Review
Selection and Amplification of Fungicide Resistance in Aspergillus fumigatus in Relation to DMI Fungicide Use in Agronomic Settings: Hotspots versus Coldspots
by Kevin J. Doughty, Helge Sierotzki, Martin Semar and Andreas Goertz
Microorganisms 2021, 9(12), 2439; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9122439 - 26 Nov 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2634
Abstract
Aspergillus fumigatus is a ubiquitous saprophytic fungus. Inhalation of A. fumigatus spores can lead to Invasive Aspergillosis (IA) in people with weakened immune systems. The use of triazole antifungals with the demethylation inhibitor (DMI) mode of action to treat IA is being hampered [...] Read more.
Aspergillus fumigatus is a ubiquitous saprophytic fungus. Inhalation of A. fumigatus spores can lead to Invasive Aspergillosis (IA) in people with weakened immune systems. The use of triazole antifungals with the demethylation inhibitor (DMI) mode of action to treat IA is being hampered by the spread of DMI-resistant “ARAf” (azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus) genotypes. DMIs are also used in the environment, for example, as fungicides to protect yield and quality in agronomic settings, which may lead to exposure of A. fumigatus to DMI residues. An agronomic setting can be a “hotspot” for ARAf if it provides a suitable substrate and favourable conditions for the growth of A. fumigatus in the presence of DMI fungicides at concentrations capable of selecting ARAf genotypes at the expense of the susceptible wild-type, followed by the release of predominantly resistant spores. Agronomic settings that do not provide these conditions are considered “coldspots". Identifying and mitigating hotspots will be key to securing the agronomic use of DMIs without compromising their use in medicine. We provide a review of studies of the prevalence of ARAf in various agronomic settings and discuss the mitigation options for confirmed hotspots, particularly those relating to the management of crop waste. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Drug Resistance in Aspergillus species: Epidemiology and Environmental Origins)
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