Aspergillus felis sp nov., an Emerging Agent of Invasive Aspergillosis in Humans, Cats, and Dogs

TY - JOUR

T1 - Aspergillus felis sp nov., an Emerging Agent of Invasive Aspergillosis in Humans, Cats, and Dogs

AU - Barrs, Vanessa R.

AU - van Doorn, Tineke M.

AU - Houbraken, Jos

AU - Kidd, Sarah E.

AU - Martin, Patricia

AU - Pinheiro, Maria Dolores

AU - Richardson, Malcolm

AU - Varga, Janos

AU - Samson, Robert A.

N1 - Reporting year: 2013

PY - 2013/6/14

Y1 - 2013/6/14

N2 - We describe a novel heterothallic species in Aspergillus section Fumigati, namely A. felis (neosartorya-morph) isolated from three host species with invasive aspergillosis including a human patient with chronic invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, domestic cats with invasive fungal rhinosinusitis and a dog with disseminated invasive aspergillosis. Disease in all host species was often refractory to aggressive antifungal therapeutic regimens. Four other human isolates previously reported as A. viridinutans were identified as A. felis on comparative sequence analysis of the partial β-tubulin and/or calmodulin genes. A. felis is a heterothallic mold with a fully functioning reproductive cycle, as confirmed by mating-type analysis, induction of teleomorphs within 7 to 10 days in vitro and ascospore germination. Phenotypic analyses show that A. felis can be distinguished from the related species A. viridinutans by its ability to grow at 45°C and from A. fumigatus by its inability to grow at 50°C. Itraconazole and voriconazole cross-resistance was common in vitro. © 2013 Barrs et al.

AB - We describe a novel heterothallic species in Aspergillus section Fumigati, namely A. felis (neosartorya-morph) isolated from three host species with invasive aspergillosis including a human patient with chronic invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, domestic cats with invasive fungal rhinosinusitis and a dog with disseminated invasive aspergillosis. Disease in all host species was often refractory to aggressive antifungal therapeutic regimens. Four other human isolates previously reported as A. viridinutans were identified as A. felis on comparative sequence analysis of the partial β-tubulin and/or calmodulin genes. A. felis is a heterothallic mold with a fully functioning reproductive cycle, as confirmed by mating-type analysis, induction of teleomorphs within 7 to 10 days in vitro and ascospore germination. Phenotypic analyses show that A. felis can be distinguished from the related species A. viridinutans by its ability to grow at 45°C and from A. fumigatus by its inability to grow at 50°C. Itraconazole and voriconazole cross-resistance was common in vitro. © 2013 Barrs et al.

U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0064871

DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0064871

M3 - Article

SN - 1932-6203

VL - 8

JO - PLoS One

JF - PLoS One

IS - 6

M1 - e64871

ER -