Rapid identification of Aspergillus fumigatus within the section Fumigati

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2011

Authors

Rita Serrano (Author) Other; Leonor Gusmao (Author) Other; Antonio Amorim (Author) FCUP; Ricardo Araujo (Author) FCUP

Journal

Title: BMC Microbiology

Vol. 11

Final page: 82

ISSN: 1471-2180

Publisher: Springer Nature

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 47 Citations

Scopus - 44 Citations

Scientific classification

FOS: Natural sciences > Biological sciences

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-002-SBQ

DOI: 10.1186/1471-2180-11-82

Abstract (EN): Background: New fungal species that are morphologically similar to Aspergillus fumigatus were recently described and included in section Fumigati. Misidentification of such fungal species, particularly of the human pathogens, Aspergillus lentulus, Neosartorya fischeri, Neosartorya hiratsukae, Neosartorya pseudofischeri and Neosartorya udagawae, has been increasingly reported by numerous clinical labs. Nevertheless, A. fumigatus still accounts for more than 90% of all invasive aspergillosis cases. The purpose of the present study was to develop a rapid method for the molecular identification of A. fumigatus to distinguish it from other species within the section Fumigati. Results: A multiplex PCR was developed using prior information based on beta-tubulin (beta tub) and rodlet A (rodA) partial gene sequences. PCR amplification of beta tub and rodA fragments resulted in a distinctive electrophoretic pattern in A. fumigatus and N. udagawae. The polymorphisms found in the smallest amplified sequence of beta tub (153 bp) and rodA (103 bp) genes were then compared among and within species of this taxonomic section. beta tub was able to differentiate among 13 individual species and two groups of species that included the pathogenic fungus A. lentulus. A more limited number of sequences were available for rodA; nevertheless, we were able to distinguish Aspergillus viridinutans, N. hiratsukae and N. udagawae. Conclusions: The assay described in the present study proved to be specific and highly reproducible, representing a fast and economic way of targeting molecular identification of the relevant mould, A. fumigatus, in clinical laboratories.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 7