Molecular epidemiology of airway colonisation by Aspergillus fumigatus in cystic fibrosis patients.

A total of 109 sequential and multiple Aspergillus fumigatus isolates corresponding to 41 samples from seven cystic fibrosis (CF) patients was typed by random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) with the primer NS3 from the fungal ribosomal gene 18S subunit, and by sequence-specific DNA primer (SSDP) analysis. RAPD typing of the isolates revealed 10 different genotypes, whereas nine genotypes were identified by SSDP. Combination of the two typing methods permitted the differentiation of 25 overall genotypes. The colonisation typing patterns differed greatly between patients colonised for <1 year by A. fumigatus and long-term colonised patients. Two of three recently colonised patients presented a large number of types even in the same sample, unlike the chronically colonised patients, who harboured a limited number of genotypes. In the latter, the occurrence of a dominant genotype, usually the overall genotype 2, tended to reflect to the duration of colonisation. Moreover, anti-catalase antibodies to A. fumigatus appeared in most cases to be in response to genotype 2. These findings suggest that some strains of A. fumigatus may be selected during prolonged colonisation of the airways in CF patients.