Global Sexual Fertility in the Opportunistic Pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus and Identification of New Supermater Strains.

ABSTRACT: A sexual cycle in Aspergillus fumigatus was first described in 2009 with isolates from Dublin, Ireland. However, the extent to which worldwide isolates can undergo sexual reproduction has remained unclear. In this study a global collection of 131 isolates was established with a near 1:1 ratio of mating types. All isolates were crossed to MAT1-1 or MAT1-2 Irish strains, and a subset of isolates from different continents were crossed together. Ninety seven percent of isolates were found to produce cleistothecia with at least one mating partner, showing that sexual fertility is not limited to the Irish population but is a characteristic of global A. fumigatus. However, large variation was seen in numbers of cleistothecia produced per cross, suggesting differences i

SUBMITTER: Swilaiman SS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7712211 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature