via Environmental News Network
A new study led by Imperial College London finds that drug-resistant mould is spreading from the environment and infecting susceptible people’s lungs.
The researchers found six cases of people infected with a drug-resistant form of a fungi called Aspergillus fumigatus that could be traced back to spores in the environment. Their findings use samples from England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, and are published in Nature Microbiology.
Aspergillus fumigatus is an environmental mould that can cause fungal lung disease. While people with healthy lungs clear inhaled spores, people with lung conditions or weakened immune systems sometimes cannot, meaning the spores may remain in the lungs causing an infection called aspergillosis. Aspergillosis affects 10-20 million people worldwide. The infection is usually treated with an antifungal drug but emerging resistance to these drugs has been reported.
“Understanding the environmental hotspots and genetic basis of evolving fungal drug resistance needs urgent attention, because resistance is compromising our ability to prevent and treat this disease.”Professor Matthew FisherSchool of Public Health
This resistance has evolved because of the widespread agricultural use of azole fungicides, the researchers say. Azole drugs that work in a similar way are the first-line treatment for patients infected with the Aspergillus fumigatus mould, so the fungus’ exposure to azole fungicides in the environment means it is often in a drug-resistant form even before it even encounters the people it infects.
The researchers call for greater surveillance of Aspergillus fumigatus in the environment and the clinic to help understand the risk it poses.
Senior author, Professor Matthew Fisher, from Imperial’s School of Public Health, says: “Understanding the environmental hotspots and genetic basis of evolving fungal drug resistance needs urgent attention, because resistance is compromising our ability to prevent and treat this disease.”
He adds: “The prevalence of drug-resistant aspergillosis has grown from negligible levels before 1999 to up to 3-40% of cases now across Europe.
“At the same time, more and more people might be susceptible to Aspergillus fumigatus infection because of growing numbers of people receiving stem cell or solid organ transplants, being on immunosuppressive therapy, or having lung conditions or severe viral respiratory infections.”
Study confirms infection concerns
In the study, the researchers isolated 218 samples of Aspergillus fumigatus from across the England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland between 2005 and 2017. Around 7 in 10 samples were from people infected (153 samples from 143 patients in five hospitals) and the rest were from the environment (65 samples) – including from soil, compost, plant bulbs, the air and other sources.
The researchers extracted the DNA from the sample moulds and sequenced it to determine whether there was crossover in the resistant spores found in the environment and in some patients.
They found six strains of Aspergillus fumigatus that existed in the environment which had infected six patients. The researchers say that the genetic similarities indicated that the fungus had spread from the environment to the patient.
Lead author, Dr Johanna Rhodes, from Imperial’s MRC Centre for Global Disease Analysis within the School of Public Health, says: “Increasingly, the cases of aspergillosis seen in the clinic are resistant to first-line azole drugs.
“However, we’ve not been sure how patients are acquiring these infections – whether they develop in the lungs during treatment for the infection, or whether the mould spores that infect them are drug-resistant in the first place.
“Our study finds that both routes of infection are possible and confirms concerns that pre-resistant mould spores in the environment are able to enter and infect people’s lungs causing harder-to-treat disease.”
Of the 218 samples, almost half (106 samples) were resistant to at least one of the first-line azole drugs used in the clinic. Specifically, 48% (104 samples) were resistant to itraconazole, 29% (64 samples) to voriconazole, and 21% to posaconazole. More than 10% of samples (26, including 23 environmental samples and 3 from patients) were resistant to two or more azole drugs.
Within the 218 samples, the researchers found 50 new genes associated with drug resistance. Looking deeper into the DNA, they also found five new combinations of single digit changes in the DNA (called single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs) that were associated with drug resistance, including one which was resistant to multiple drugs.
“Our findings highlight new ways of resistant infections passing to people and show that a better understanding of where and how Aspergillus fumigatus is generating drug resistance is needed.”Dr Johanna RhodesMRC Centre for Global Disease Analysis
Looking at the genes of the Aspergillus fumigatus samples, the researchers found that there were two distinct groups – group A (123 of the 218 samples) and group B (95 samples). Around 80% of samples in group A were drug resistant, while about 85% of group B were not. While the two groups were distinct, the researchers found signs of them swapping genetic material, and in some cases creating new versions of drug resistance.
The researchers say these findings indicate that the full spectrum of azole-resistance in Aspergillus fumigatus is yet to be understood.
Dr Rhodes says: “Our findings highlight new ways of resistant infections passing to people and show that a better understanding of where and how Aspergillus fumigatus is generating drug resistance is needed.”
Original Article: Researchers discover drug-resistant mould is capable of infecting people
More from: Imperial College London | King’s College London | Trinity College Dublin | University of Aberdeen | University of Manchester | Nanyang Technological University | University of Nottingham | University of Exeter
The Latest Updates from Bing News & Google News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Drug-resistant mould
- New Father Les Costello statue unveiled during ceremony
The bronze-resin statue of Father Les Costello appears to be glancing at the heavens in celebration of a life well lived. A replacement for the one damaged beyond repair in March ...
- Medical Component Made With Tritan™ Prevents Drug Mixing
Swedish medical technology company CYTO365 and Eastman worked together to create a new medical component for infusion therapy that lowers patient risk.
- Medical Component Made With Tritan(TM) Prevents Drug Mixing
RondelO™ is a new turn valve for safer multi-drug administration. NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / April 24, 2024 / Eastman Eastman Swedish medical technology company CYTO365 and Eastman worked together ...
- How These Young MDs Impressed the Hell Out of Their Bosses
We asked physician supervisors to tell us stories about young doctors who went above and beyond in surprising ways — and what we can learn from them.
- AP finds grueling conditions in Indian shrimp industry that report calls 'dangerous and abusive'
Many people in India struggle to survive amid endemic poverty, debt and unemployment. The women AP spoke with said this work, despite the oppressive conditions, is their only chance to avoid ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Drug-resistant mould
[google_news title=”” keyword=”drug-resistant mould” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Aspergillus fumigatus
- Is It Bad to Sleep With Wet Hair?
Going to bed with wet hair is probably not the end of the world if you do it occasionally. Learn about hair and scalp risks from sleeping on wet hair.
- Diagnosis of Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis: A Case-Based Approach
fumigatus and a chest radiograph along with ... ABPA: Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis; GINA: Global initiative for asthma. Adapted with permission from [7]. ABPA-S Fulfils the diagnostic ...
- Bill could change rules for pot industry fees and mold tests
Colorado is considering a new bill to change marijuana regulations that would lift some testing requirements for fungi on cannabis products and alter licensing fees.
- As Pot Recalls Mount, Decontamination Tech Inactivates Mold At DNA Level
Microbial contamination—notably aspergillus—continues to wreak havoc on state-legal pot industries, but one company can instantly destroy living contaminants.
- Can breath analysis help with early detection of aspergillosis?
3 Aspergillus fumigatus is considered to be the species most commonly associated with invasive aspergillosis. When this pathogen is inhaled, and airborne conidia (asexual spores) are deposited in ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Aspergillus fumigatus
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Aspergillus fumigatus” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]