Knowledge Visualization: A Comparative Study between Project Tube Maps and Gantt Charts

Abstract

Azole-resistance in <i>Aspergillus fumigatus</i> is a worldwide medical concern complicating the management of aspergillosis (IA). Herein, we report the clonal spread of environmental triazole resistant <i>A. fumigatus</i> isolates in Iran. In this study, 63 <i>A. fumigatus</i> isolates were collected from 300 compost samples plated on Sabouraud dextrose agar supplemented with itraconazole (ITR) and voriconazole (VOR). Forty-four isolates had the TR₃₄/L98H mutation and three isolates a TR₄₆/Y121F/T289A resistance mechanism, while two isolates harbored a M172V substitution in <i>cyp</i>51A. Fourteen azole resistant isolates had no mutations in <i>cyp</i>51A. We found that 41 out of 44 <i>A. fumigatus</i> strains with the TR₃₄/L98H mutation, isolated from compost in 13 different Iranian cities, shared the same allele across all nine examined microsatellite loci. Clonal expansion of triazole resistant <i>A. fumigatus</i> in this study emphasizes the importance of establishing antifungal resistance surveillance studies to monitor clinical <i>Aspergillus</i> isolates in Iran, as well as screening for azole resistance in environmental <i>A. fumigatus</i> isolates.