Irshad M Sulaiman 1 , Emily Jacobs 1 , Steven Simpson 1 Show Affiliations »
Abstract
BACKGROUND: In September 2012, a multistate fungal meningitis outbreak started across 20 states in the United States. It affected 753 individuals and caused 64 deaths who received contaminated spinal injections. In a previous study, we analyzed 26 environmental samples collected from the manufacturing premises of a compounding company to determine the possible cause of an outbreak and identified 14 distinct fungal species. OBJECTIVES: In this follow-up study, we have analyzed 198 environmental samples collected from three additional compounding company premises located in the United States for the presence of pathogenic fungi. METHODS: Environmental swab samples were initially examined by standard microbiological methods. Subsequently, DNA sequencing was performed on all of the 25 recovered fungal isolates at the D1-D2 domain of the large subunit (LSU) ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions. RESULTS: Sequence analysis of the ITS1, ITS2, and LSU rRNA regions confirmed the presence of the following fungal species in the environmental samples analyzed: (i) Pestalotiopsis cocculi from the region Ia; (ii) Epicoccum nigrum and Trichaptum biforme from the region Ib; (iii) Nigrospora sphaerica and Fusarium sp. from the region II; and (iv) Curvularia sp., Fusarium sp., Penicillium sp., and Preussia sp. from the region III. Species identification of 25 recovered fungal isolates matched, in most cases, at 3 sequenced loci (ITS1, ITS2, and LSU). HIGHLIGHTS: DNA sequencing of ITS1, ITS2, and LSU D1-D2 regions can be used to perform fungal typing and in implementing effective environmental monitoring programs of public health importance. © AOAC INTERNATIONAL 2020. This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public domain in the US.
BACKGROUND: In September 2012, a multistate fungal meningitis outbreak started across 20 states in the United States. It affected 753 individuals and caused 64 deaths who received contaminated spinal injections. In a previous study, we analyzed 26 environmental samples collected from the manufacturing premises of a compounding company to determine the possible cause of an outbreak and identified 14 distinct fungal species. OBJECTIVES: In this follow-up study, we have analyzed 198 environmental samples collected from three additional compounding company premises located in the United States for the presence of pathogenic fungi. METHODS: Environmental swab samples were initially examined by standard microbiological methods. Subsequently, DNA sequencing was performed on all of the 25 recovered fungal isolates at the D1-D2 domain of the large subunit (LSU) ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions. RESULTS: Sequence analysis of the ITS1, ITS2, and LSU rRNA regions confirmed the presence of the following fungal species in the environmental samples analyzed: (i) Pestalotiopsis cocculi from the region Ia; (ii) Epicoccum nigrum and Trichaptum biforme from the region Ib; (iii) Nigrospora sphaerica and Fusarium sp . from the region II; and (iv) Curvularia sp ., Fusarium sp ., Penicillium sp ., and Preussia sp . from the region III. Species identification of 25 recovered fungal isolates matched, in most cases, at 3 sequenced loci (ITS1, ITS2, and LSU). HIGHLIGHTS: DNA sequencing of ITS1, ITS2, and LSU D1-D2 regions can be used to perform fungal typing and in implementing effective environmental monitoring programs of public health importance. © AOAC INTERNATIONAL 2020. This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public domain in the US.
Entities: Disease
Species
Mesh： See more »
Substances： See more »
Year: 2020
PMID： 33241369 DOI： 10.1093/jaocint/qsz012
Source DB: PubMed Journal: J AOAC Int ISSN： 1060-3271 Impact factor: 1.913