title: Species diversity of Aspergillus section Versicolores in clinical samples and antifungal susceptibility.
abstract: Aspergillus section Versicolores includes species of clinical relevance and many others that have been poorly studied but are occasionally found in clinical samples. The aim of this study was to investigate, using a multilocus phylogenetic approach, the spectrum of species of the section Versicolores and to determine their in vitro antifungal susceptibility. The study was based on a set of 77 clinical isolates from different USA medical centres, which had been previously identified as belonging to this section. The genetic markers used were internal transcribed spacer (ITS), β-tubulin (BenA), calmodulin (CaM), and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2), and the drugs tested, following the CLSI guidelines, were amphotericin B (AMB), itraconazole, posaconazole, voriconazole, anidulafungin, caspofungin, micafungin, terbinafine (TBF), and flucytosine (5FC). The most frequent species were Aspergillus sydowii (26 %), Aspergillus creber (22 %), and Aspergillus amoenus (18.2 %), followed by Aspergillus protuberus (13 %), Aspergillus jensenii (10.4 %), and Aspergillus tabacinus (5.2 %); while Aspergillus cvjetkovicii, Aspergillus fructus, Aspergillus puulaauensis, and Aspergillus versicolor were represented by only one isolate each (1.3 %). This is the first time that A. jensenii and A. puulaauensis have been reported from clinical samples. Considering the high number of isolates identified as belonging to this fungal group in this study, its clinical relevance should not be overlooked. Aspergillus versicolor, traditionally considered one of the most common species in this section in a clinical setting, was only rarely recovered in our study. The in vitro antifungal results showed that echinocandins and TBF were the most potent drugs, the azoles showed variable results, AMB was poorly active, and 5FC was the less active.
authors.affiliation: Unitat de Micologia, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, IISPV, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 21 Sant Llorenç St., 43201 Reus, Spain; Laboratório de Microbiologia, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto, 5416 Brigadeiro Faria Lima Ave., 15090-000 São José do Rio Preto, Brazil.
authors.forename: João Paulo Zen
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Siqueira
authors.affiliation: Fungus Testing Laboratory, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Deanna A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Sutton
authors.affiliation: Unitat de Micologia, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, IISPV, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 21 Sant Llorenç St., 43201 Reus, Spain.
authors.forename: Dania
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: García
authors.affiliation: Unitat de Micologia, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, IISPV, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 21 Sant Llorenç St., 43201 Reus, Spain. Electronic address: josepa.gene@urv.cat.
authors.forename: Josepa
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gené
authors.affiliation: Unitat de Micologia, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, IISPV, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 21 Sant Llorenç St., 43201 Reus, Spain.
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Thomson
authors.affiliation: Fungus Testing Laboratory, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wiederhold
authors.affiliation: Unitat de Micologia, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, IISPV, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 21 Sant Llorenç St., 43201 Reus, Spain.
authors.forename: Josep
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guarro
mesh_terms: D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001228:Aspergillosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D001230:Aspergillus / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D044822:Biodiversity; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010802:Phylogeny
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents
keywords: Antufungal activity; Ascomycetes; Aspergilli; Multilocus phylogeny; Taxonomy