Molecular Analysis for Potential Hospital-Acquired Infection Caused by Aspergillus Tubingensis Through the Environment

CHIYOKO TANAMACHI; JUN IWAHASHI; AKINOBU TOGO; KEISUKE OHTA; MIHO MIURA; TORU SAKAMOTO; KENJI GOTOH; RIE HORITA; KATSUHIKO KAMEI; HIROSHI WATANABE

doi:10.2739/kurumemedj.MS6934013

Original Article

Molecular Analysis for Potential Hospital-Acquired Infection Caused by Aspergillus Tubingensis Through the Environment

CHIYOKO TANAMACHI, JUN IWAHASHI, AKINOBU TOGO, KEISUKE OHTA, MIHO MIURA, TORU SAKAMOTO, KENJI GOTOH, RIE HORITA, KATSUHIKO KAMEI, HIROSHI WATANABE

Author information

CHIYOKO TANAMACHI
Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Kurume University Hospital
JUN IWAHASHI
Department of Infection Control and Prevention, Kurume University School of Medicine
AKINOBU TOGO
Advanced Imaging Research Center, Kurume University School of Medicine
KEISUKE OHTA
Advanced Imaging Research Center, Kurume University School of Medicine
MIHO MIURA
Division of Infection Control and Prevention, Kurume University Hospital
TORU SAKAMOTO
Division of Infection Control and Prevention, Kurume University Hospital
Department of Infection Control and Prevention, Kurume University School of Medicine
KENJI GOTOH
Division of Infection Control and Prevention, Kurume University Hospital
Department of Infection Control and Prevention, Kurume University School of Medicine
RIE HORITA
Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Kurume University Hospital
KATSUHIKO KAMEI
Division of Clinical Research, Medical Mycology Research Center, Chiba University
HIROSHI WATANABE
Division of Infection Control and Prevention, Kurume University Hospital
Department of Infection Control and Prevention, Kurume University School of Medicine

Keywords: black Aspergillus, Aspergillus section Nigri, Aspergillus tubingensis, multilocus sequence analysis, biofilm

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

2022 Volume 69 Issue 3.4 Pages 185-193

DOI https://doi.org/10.2739/kurumemedj.MS6934013

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Abstract

Summary: The identification of Aspergillus species has been performed mainly by morphological classification. In recent years, however, the revelation of the existence of cryptic species has required genetic analysis for accurate identification. The purpose of this study was to investigate five Aspergillus section Nigri strains isolated from a patient and the environment in a university hospital. Species identification by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry identified all five black Aspergillus strains as Aspergillus niger. However, calmodulin gene sequence analysis revealed that all five strains were cryptic species, four of which, including the clinical strain, were Aspergillus tubingensis. Hospital-acquired infection of the patient with the A. tubingensis strain introduced from the environment was suspected, but sequencing of six genes from four A. tubingensis strains revealed no environmental strain that completely matched the patient strain. The amount of in vitro biofilm formation of the four examples of the A. tubingensis strain was comparable to that of Aspergillus fumigatus. An extracellular matrix was observed by electron microscopy of the biofilm of the clinical strain. This study suggests that various types of biofilm-forming A. tubingensis exist in the hospital environment and that appropriate environmental management is required.

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