Global variability and disease profiles of Aspergillus flavus
Shaoqin Zhou 1,2,3, Bram Spruijtenburg 3,4, Bruno Lustosa 5, Eelco F.J. Meijer 3,4, Mawahib A.I. Ismail 6, Min Chen 7, Vania A. Vicente 5 , Yinggai Song 8, Yingqian Kang 1, G. Sybren de Hoog 2,3,9, Sarah A. Ahmed 2,3,10#
1Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education of Guizhou, Key Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology of Education Department of Guizhou, School of Public Health, School of Basic Medical Science, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China; 2Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; 3Radboudumc-CWZ Center of Expertise for Mycology, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; 4Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Canisius-Wilhelmina Hospital / Dicoon, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; 5Engineering Bioprocess and Biotechnology Graduate Program, Department of Bioprocess Engineering and Biotechnology, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil; 6Mycology Reference Laboratory, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan; 7Department of Dermatology, Shanghai University of Medicine & Health Sciences Affiliated Zhoupu Hospital, Shanghai, China; 8Department of Dermatology and Venerology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China; 9Foundation Atlas of Clinical Fungi, Hilversum, The Netherlands; 10Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Kuwait
Abstract
Background. Aspergillus flavus is the leading opportunist causing fungal rhinosinusitis (FRS) in warm climate zones. However, the prevalence and clinical manifestations of diseases caused by this species vary between geographic areas. Further exploration of the genotypes in arid versus temperate regions is necessary to understand the epidemiology and improve disease surveillance.
Methods. This study included 170 presumed A. flavus isolates (142 clinical, 28 environmental), mostly from Sudan, China, Curaçao, and The Netherlands. The isolates were identified based on calmodulin (CaM) sequencing and the haplotype diversity was assessed. Genotyping methods included short tandem repeats (STRs) with a panel of nine markers, and mating type (MAT1-1 and MAT1-2) frequency analysis.
Results. All 170 strains were identified as A. flavus sensu stricto using the calmodulin gene. STR genotyping revealed 154 genotypes and eight clusters (≥2 isolates). Isolates did not form country- or source-specific clades. The largest cluster consisted of seven isolates from a single hospital in China, indicating possible nosocomial transmission. Mating types were 31 % (n = 53) of MAT1-1, and 63 % (n = 107) of MAT1-2, while 6 % (n = 10) harbored both gametes. Ten haplotypes were identified, with Hap1 (n = 268), Hap2 (n = 239), and Hap4 (n = 192) being the most common, accounting for 97.2 % (700/719) of all isolates.
Conclusion. The global population of A. flavus exhibits high genetic diversity without geographic clustering. The geographic disparity in clinical presentation underscores the possibility that A. flavus-induced disease is modulated by regional host-pathogen interactions.
Open Access
Cite this article:
Zhou S, Spruijtenburg B, Lustosa B, Meijer E.F.J, Ismail M.A.I, Chen M, Vicente V.A, Song Y, Kang Y, de Hoog G.S, Ahmed S.A, 2025. Global variability and disease profiles of Aspergillus flavus. One Health Mycology 2(1), 70-76
ISSN: 3050-4627
doi.org/10.63049/OHM.25.21.5
Keywords:
Aspergillus flavus; fungal rhinosinusitis; short tandem repeats (STRs); haplotype networks; mating types; tropical and arid climate; Sudan
Article highlights:
- Aspergillus flavus exhibits high genetic diversity in a global population, indicating long-distance airborne dispersal.
- Mating type distribution seems to vary regionally, but is balanced on a worldwide scale.
- Geographic disparity in clinical presentation underscores the possibility that A. flavus-induced disease is modulated by host-related factors.
#Correspondence:
sara3707@gmail.com, sarah.ahmed@ku.edu.kw
Article info:
Received 9 May 2025
Revised 26 May 2025
Accepted 30 May 2025
Appeared online 28 June 2025
One Health Mycology 2(1): 70-76, 2025