title: Aspergillus tubingensis: a major filamentous fungus found in the airways of patients with lung disease.
abstract: The black Aspergillus group comprises A. niger and 18 other species, which are morphologically indistinguishable. Among this species subset, A. tubingensis, described in less than 30 human cases before 2014, is primarily isolated from ear, nose, and throat samples. Recently, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry has emerged as a powerful technique to identify microbes in diagnostic settings. We applied this method to identify 1,720 filamentous fungi routinely isolated from clinical samples our laboratory over a two-year study period. Accordingly, we found 85 isolates of A. niger, 58 of A. tubingensis, and six other black Aspergillus (4 A. carbonarius and 2 A. japonicus). A. tubingensis was the fifth most frequent mold isolated in our mycology laboratory, primarily isolated from respiratory samples (40/58 isolates). In this study, we mainly aimed to describe the clinical pattern of Aspergillus tubingensisWe analyzed the clinical features of the patients in whom A. tubingensis had been isolated from 40 respiratory samples. Thirty patients suffered from cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or other types of chronic respiratory failure. Strikingly, 20 patients were experiencing respiratory acute exacerbation at the time the sample was collected. Antifungal susceptibility testing of 36 A. tubingensis isolates showed lower amphotericin B MICs (P < 10(-4)) and higher itraconazole and voriconazole MICs (P < 10(-4) and P = .0331, respectively) compared with 36 A. niger isolates. Further studies are required to better establish the role that this fungus plays in human diseases, especially in the context of cystic fibrosis and chronic pulmonary diseases.
authors.affiliation: Parasitology and Mycology, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille, CHU Timone-Adultes, 13385 Marseilles CEDEX 5, France avellanmagali@hotmail.fr.
authors.forename: Magali
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gautier
authors.affiliation: Parasitology and Mycology, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille, CHU Timone-Adultes, 13385 Marseilles CEDEX 5, France.
authors.forename: Anne-Cécile
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Normand
authors.affiliation: Parasitology and Mycology, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille, CHU Timone-Adultes, 13385 Marseilles CEDEX 5, France.
authors.forename: Coralie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: L'Ollivier
authors.affiliation: Parasitology and Mycology, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille, CHU Timone-Adultes, 13385 Marseilles CEDEX 5, France.
authors.forename: Carole
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cassagne
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory diseases, CF Adult Centre and Lung Transplant Team; Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille, CHU Nord, 13015 Marseilles, France URMITE CNRS IRD UMR 6236, IHU Méditerranée Infection, Aix-Marseille University, France.
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reynaud-Gaubert
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Pulmonology and CF Centre, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille, CHU Timone-Enfants, 13385 Marseilles CEDEX 5, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Christophe
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Dubus
authors.affiliation: URMITE CNRS IRD UMR 6236, IHU Méditerranée Infection, Aix-Marseille University, France Service d'Explorations Fonctionnelles Respiratoires, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille, CHU Nord, 13015 Marseilles, France.
authors.forename: Fabienne
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Brégeon
authors.affiliation: BCCM/IHEM: Scientific Institute of Public Health, Mycology and Aerobiology Section, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Marijke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hendrickx
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory diseases, CF Adult Centre and Lung Transplant Team; Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille, CHU Nord, 13015 Marseilles, France URMITE CNRS IRD UMR 6236, IHU Méditerranée Infection, Aix-Marseille University, France.
authors.forename: Carine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gomez
authors.affiliation: Parasitology and Mycology, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille, CHU Timone-Adultes, 13385 Marseilles CEDEX 5, France Aix-Marseille University, UMR MD3 IP-TPT, 13885 Marseilles, France.
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ranque
authors.affiliation: Parasitology and Mycology, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille, CHU Timone-Adultes, 13385 Marseilles CEDEX 5, France Aix-Marseille University, UMR MD3 IP-TPT, 13885 Marseilles, France.
authors.forename: Renaud
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Piarroux
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001228:Aspergillosis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D001230:Aspergillus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents
keywords: aspergillosis; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; colonization; cystic fibrosis; human