S7.3d Environmental surveillance of Aspergillus fumigatus in Dutch agricultural crops

Abstract

 S7.3 Emergent theories on pathogenic fungal dispersal around the globe, September 23, 2022, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PMObjectivesAzole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus isolates from the environment hamper the treatment of patients suffering from Aspergillus diseases due to cross-resistance with agricultural azoles. Previous work has suggested A. fumigatus likely gains resistance through environmental azole exposure in so-called hotspots.MethodsWe investigated A. fumigatus resistance at multi-environmental sites including the compost, strawberry, and potatoes, where farmers used azole fungicides for crop protection.ResultsOn average 105 A. fumigatus CFU/g was recovered of which roughly half were itraconazole and tebuconazole resistant. Similar tandem repeat-mediated resistance mechanisms were found in colonies cultured from these environmental sites as reported in clinical azole-resistant isolates.ConclusionsOur results suggest that not only azole-containing plant-waste material but also other agricultural crops can be hotspots for resistance selection in A. fumigatus and underscores the need to further investigate transmission routes.