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Azole antifungal resistance in fungal isolates from wastewater treatment plant effluents

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Abstract

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) can be significant sources of antifungal resistant fungi, which can disseminate further in the environment by getting into rivers together with effluents discharged from WWTPs and pose a risk for human health. In this study, the presence of azole resistance was determined in fungal isolates from treated effluents of two WWTPs using the standard microdilution method from Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). A total of 41 fungal isolates representing 23 fungal species and 16 fungal genera were obtained. Fungal genera related to the known human and/or plant pathogens such as Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Candida were detected. Among the observed species, the susceptibility of Aspergillus fumigatus and Fusarium oxysporum was tested against fluconazole (FCZ), ketoconazole (KTZ), itraconazole (ITZ), and voriconazole (VCZ). The isolate A. fumigatus was susceptible to KTZ, ITZ, and VCZ, while it showed resistance against FCZ. On the contrast, the isolate F. oxysporum showed resistance to KTZ, ITZ, and VCZ. Comparatively, VCZ showed highest activity against both A. fumigatus and F. oxysporum. Analysis of the gene Cyp51A for the A. fumigatus isolate showed no evidence of drug resistance that could be related to point mutations and/or tandem repeats in the gene. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first susceptibility test study on A. fumigatus and F. oxysporum isolates from the WWTPs of South Africa. In conclusion, this study indicated an urgent need for thorough investigation with larger group of fungal isolates from different regions of South Africa to broadly understand the role of WWTPs in the dissemination of azole antifungal drug resistance.

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Data availability

All of the data analysis results obtained during this study are included in this manuscript. All ITS sequences obtained were submitted to NCBI database (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/) as accession numbers MN587039 to MN587079. All Cyp51A gene sequences obtained were deposited at the NCBI database with submission number 2282116.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are also thankful to the wastewater and water treatment plants for granting their permission to collect water samples. Hailemariam Abrha Assress is thankful to Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, for granting him a study leave.

Funding

The authors received funding from Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability Research Unit, UNISA, South Africa.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Science Engineering and Technology, Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability Research Unit, UNISA Science Campus, University of South Africa, P.O. Box 392, UNISA 0003, Florida-Park, Roodepoort, Johannesburg, 1709, South Africa

    Hailemariam Abrha Assress, Hlengilizwe Nyoni, Bhekie B. Mamba & Titus A. M. Msagati

  2. College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, UNISA Science Campus, University of South Africa, P.O. Box 392, UNISA 0003, Florida, Johannesburg, 1709, South Africa

    Ramganesh Selvarajan & Henry Joseph Oduor Ogola

  3. State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Process/National Center for International Joint Research on Membrane Science and Technology, Tianjin, 300387, People’s Republic of China

    Bhekie B. Mamba

  4. School of Life Sciences and Bio-Engineering, The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, P O Box 447, Tengeru, Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania

    Titus A. M. Msagati

Authors
  1. Hailemariam Abrha Assress
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  2. Ramganesh Selvarajan
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  3. Hlengilizwe Nyoni
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  4. Henry Joseph Oduor Ogola
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  5. Bhekie B. Mamba
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  6. Titus A. M. Msagati
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Contributions

Hailemariam Abrha Assress: conceptualization, performed the experiment, drafted the manuscript, and prepared all figures; Ramganesh Selvarajan: data analysis; Hlengilizwe Nyoni: assisted in MALDI and SEM analysis; Henry Joseph Oduor Ogola: data analysis; Titus A.M. Msagati and Bhekie B. Mamba: lead the project and financial support; all authors reviewed and edited the final version.

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Correspondence to Titus A. M. Msagati.

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Assress, H.A., Selvarajan, R., Nyoni, H. et al. Azole antifungal resistance in fungal isolates from wastewater treatment plant effluents. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 3217–3229 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-10688-1

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