A review molecular typing methods for Aspergillus flavus isolates

Mycopathologia. 2011 Aug;172(2):83-93. doi: 10.1007/s11046-011-9406-x. Epub 2011 Mar 3.

Abstract

Aspergillus flavus is the second most important Aspergillus species causing human infections. The importance of this fungus increases in regions with a dry and hot climate. Small phylogenetic studies in Aspergillus flavus indicate that the morphological species contains several genetically isolated species. Different genotyping methods have been developed and employed in order to better understand the genetic and epidemiological relationships between environmental and clinical isolates. Understanding pathogen distribution and relatedness is essential for determining the epidemiology of nosocomial infections and aiding in the design of rational pathogen control methods. Typing techniques can also give us a deeper understanding of the colonization pattern in patients. Most of these studies focused on Aspergillus fumigatus because it is medically the most isolated species. To date, there has not been any publication exclusively reviewing the molecular typing techniques for Aspergillus flavus in the literature. This article reviews all these different available methods for this organism.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Aspergillus flavus / classification*
  • Aspergillus flavus / genetics*
  • Aspergillus fumigatus / classification
  • Aspergillus fumigatus / genetics
  • Humans
  • Microsatellite Repeats
  • Molecular Epidemiology / methods
  • Molecular Typing / methods*
  • Mycological Typing Techniques / methods*
  • Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length