Open AccessFunctional Characterization of Clinical Isolates of the Opportunistic Fungal Pathogen Aspergillus nidulans
Author(s) -
Rafael Wesley Bastos,
Clara Valero,
Lilian Pereira Silva,
Taylor J. Schoen,
Milton T. Drott,
Verônica Soares Brauer,
Rafael SilvaRocha,
Abigail Lind,
Jacob L. Steenwyk,
Antonis Rokas,
Fernando Rodrigues,
Agustin Reséndiz-Sharpe,
Katrien Lagrou,
Marina MarcetHouben,
Toni Gabaldón,
Erin McDonnell,
Ian D. Reid,
Adrian Tsang,
Berl R. Oakley,
Flávio Vieira Loures,
Fausto Almeida,
Anna Huttenlocher,
Nancy P. Keller,
Laure Nicolas Annick Ries,
Gustavo H. Goldman
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
msphere
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.749
H-Index - 39
ISSN - 2379-5042
DOI - 10.1128/msphere.00153-20
Subject(s) - aspergillus nidulans , virulence , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , context (archaeology) , aspergillus , chronic granulomatous disease , aspergillus fumigatus , gene , genetics , paleontology , mutant
Immunocompromised patients are susceptible to infections with opportunistic filamentous fungi from the genus Aspergillus . Although A. fumigatus is the main etiological agent of Aspergillus species-related infections, other species, such as A. nidulans , are prevalent in a condition-specific manner. A. nidulans is a predominant infective agent in patients suffering from chronic granulomatous disease (CGD). A. nidulans isolates have mainly been studied in the context of CGD although infection with A. nidulans also occurs in non-CGD patients. This study carried out a detailed biological characterization of two non-CGD A. nidulans clinical isolates and compared the results to those with a reference strain. Phenotypic, metabolomic, and genomic analyses highlight fundamental differences in carbon source utilization, stress responses, and maintenance of cell wall integrity among the strains. One clinical strain had increased virulence in models with impaired neutrophil function. Just as in A. fumigatus , strain heterogeneity exists in A. nidulans clinical strains that can define virulence traits.