Resistance to azoles for clinical use in Aspergillus section Fumigati isolates obtained from agricultural soils

VILLANUEVA F; GARCÍA EFFRON G; GAMARRA S; ROJAS F; GIUSIANO G

Foz do Iguazu

Congreso; 21st INFOCUS - Latin American Forum on Fungal Infections in Clinical Practice; 2023

Sociedade Brasileira de Infectologia

Objective: To obtain isolates of Aspergillus section Fumigati from soils of agricultural areas and determine their susceptibility against triazoles for clinical use.Methods: 48 isolates of Aspergillus section Fumigati collected from agricultural soils exposed and not exposed to fumigation with azole antifungals for agricultural use in the province of Chaco (Argentina) were studied. Identification at section level was performed using macro and micromorphological characteristics. Molecular typing was performed using PCR screening for A. fumigatus sensu stricto based on CYP51A gene sequence. The study of susceptibility to the clinically used antifungal agents voriconazole, isavuconazole and itraconazole was evaluated using the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) by the broth microdilution method standardized by CLSI (M38M51S-Ed3).Results: Of the 48 isolates, 30 (62.5%) were identified by PCR screening as A. fumigatus sensu stricto and 18 (37.5%) as A. fumigatus related species. A higher percentage of cryptic species isolates was obtained from agricultural soils exposed to azoles compared to non-fumigated soils (58.6% vs. 5.3%; p