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Could Fungicides Lead to Azole Drug Resistance in a Cross-Resistance Manner among Environmental Cryptococcus Strains?

  • Clinical Mycology Lab Issues (S Cordoba, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Fungal Infection Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

Acquired resistance among fungal strains is a growing concern. The reasons for the emergence of this phenomenon, with great clinical implications, are only partially explained and related to the frequent use of fluconazole prophylaxis or therapeutic regimens in medical practice, and evidence of environmental origin of resistance is warranted.

Recent Findings

Soil exposed to azole fungicides may select acquired resistant fungal strains and improve the proliferation and maintenance of phenotypes in this environment. So far, the greatest focus on cross-resistance in relation to azoles is with genus Aspergillus.

Summary

In view of fungicides and drugs present similar triazole chemical structure and mechanisms of action, our results showed that fungicides in agricultural areas may decrease fungal sensibility to azole drugs, becoming a potential source of resistance for invasive human mycoses agents. The abusive usage of fungicide in agriculture could play a role in the therapeutic failure of cryptococcosis.

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Acknowledgments

We thank FAPESP for financial support for the first author (FAPESP process 2013/07221-2), Grupo Fleury for performing part of the sequencing and UNICAMP for chromatographic analysis of the soil and for performing part of the sequencing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Núcleo de Patologia Quantitativa, Instituto Adolfo Lutz, São Paulo, Brazil

    Juliana Possatto Fernandes Takahashi

  2. Graduate Program, Disease Control Coordination, Instituto Adolfo Lutz, São Paulo, Brazil

    Leticia Marielle Feliciano & Dayane Cristina Silva Santos

  3. Laboratório Regional de Rio Claro, Instituto Adolfo Lutz, São Paulo, Brazil

    Silézia Ramos & Rogério A. Oliveira

  4. Chemical, Biological and Agricultural Pluridisciplinary Research Center (CPQBA), Campinas State University, Campinas, Brazil

    Derlene Attili-Angelis & Nadia Regina Rodrigues

  5. Grupo Fleury, São Paulo, Brazil

    Jorge Luiz Mello Sampaio

  6. Núcleo de Micologia, Instituto Adolfo Lutz, São Paulo, Brazil

    Marilena dos Anjos Martins

  7. Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

    Marcia Souza Carvalho Melhem

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  1. Juliana Possatto Fernandes Takahashi
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  2. Leticia Marielle Feliciano
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Juliana Possatto Fernandes Takahashi.

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Conflict of Interest

Juliana Possatto Fernandes Takahashi, Leticia Marielle Feliciano, Dayane Cristina Silva Santos, Silézia Ramos, Rogério A. Oliveira, Derlene Attili-Angelis, Nadia Regina Rodrigues, Jorge Luiz Melo Sampaio, Marilena dos Anjos Martins, and Marcia Souza Carvalho Melhem declare no conflicts of interest relevant to this manuscript.

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Takahashi, J.P.F., Feliciano, L.M., Santos, D.C.S. et al. Could Fungicides Lead to Azole Drug Resistance in a Cross-Resistance Manner among Environmental Cryptococcus Strains?. Curr Fungal Infect Rep 14, 9–14 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12281-020-00373-8

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