Aspergillus lentulus sp. nov., a New Sibling Species of A. fumigatus

Abstract

In a prior study, we identified seven clinical isolates of an Aspergillus sp. that were slow to sporulate in multiple media and demonstrated decreased in vitro susceptibilities to multiple antifungals, including amphotericin B, itraconazole, voriconazole, and caspofungin. These isolates were initially considered to be variants of Aspergillus fumigatus because of differences in mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences and unique randomly amplified polymorphic DNA PCR patterns ( Phenotype studies revealed that the variant isolate has smaller conidial heads with diminutive vesicles compared to A. fumigatus and is not able to survive at 48°C. Our findings suggest the presence of a previously unrecognized, potentially drug-resistant Aspergillus species that we designate A. lentulus.

An alternative host model of a mixed fungal infection by azole susceptible and resistantAspergillusspp strains

“…However, the epidemiology of these infections is changing with new emerging cryptic species becoming isolated and occasionally causing disseminated infections in immunocompromised hosts. 3,4 The risk factors associated with these cryptic species are still undefined but it is known that they show remarkable high MICs to multiple antifungal agents. 5,6 The reasons for this change in fungal populations, as well as the emergence of drug resistance, are still poorly understood.…”

A Case Report on Aspergillus lentulus Pneumonia

“…According to the order of frequency, A. fumigatus, A. flavus, and A. niger were recently isolated as agents of invasive aspergillosis in our hospital (11). Isolations of A. lentulus defined in 2005 as a kind of new Aspergillus species were reported in America, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and Spain (9,12). The characteristics of some cases with colonisation or infection caused by A. lentulus in the literature are shown in Table 1 (3,8,9,13,14).…”

Advances Against Aspergillosis: Biology, Host response, Diagnosis and Treatment

“…Sanguinetti and Posteraro [25] highlight the advantages and limitations of the emerging technology of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry for the identification and antifungal susceptibility testing of pathogenic aspergilli in the clinical mycology laboratory. The discovery of cryptic species of Aspergillus [26], and the potential for differing susceptibilities to antifungal compounds, has brought to the forefront the importance of accurate species identification. Alastruey-Izquierdo et al [27] review the clinical relevance of these cryptic species, emphasizing their epidemiology and antifungal drug susceptibility profiles.…”