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

S7.3 EMERGENT THEORIES ON PATHOGENIC FUNGAL DISPERSAL AROUND THE GLOBE, SEPTEMBER 23, 2022, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM: OBJECTIVES: Azole-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. METHODS: We investigated A. fumigatus resistance at multi-environmental sites including the compost, strawberry, and potatoes, where farmers used azole fungicides for crop protection. RESULTS: On 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. CONCLUSIONS: Our 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.