title: Microsatellite typing of avian clinical and environmental isolates of Aspergillus fumigatus.
abstract: Aspergillosis is one of the most common causes of death in captive birds. Aspergillosis in birds is mainly caused by Aspergillus fumigatus, a ubiquitous and opportunistic saprophyte. Currently it is not known whether there is a link between the environmental isolates and/or human isolates of A. fumigatus and those responsible for aspergillosis in birds. Microsatellite typing was used to analyse 65 clinical avian isolates and 23 environmental isolates of A. fumigatus. The 78 genotypes that were obtained were compared with a database containing genotypes of 2514 isolates from human clinical samples and from the environment. There appeared to be no specific association between the observed genotypes and the origin of the isolates (environment, human or bird). Eight genotypes obtained from isolates of diseased birds were also found in human clinical samples. These results indicate that avian isolates of A. fumigatus may cause infection in humans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium. Lieven.vanwaeyenberghe@ugent.be
authors.forename: Lieven
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Van Waeyenberghe
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pasmans
authors.forename: Lies A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Beernaert
authors.forename: Freddy
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Haesebrouck
authors.forename: Francis
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vercammen
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Verstappen
authors.forename: Gerry M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Dorrestein
authors.forename: Corné H W
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Klaassen
authors.forename: An
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001228:Aspergillosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary; D001232:Aspergillus fumigatus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D001717:Birds; D030541:Databases, Genetic; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics*; D016533:Mycological Typing Techniques