Aspergillus fumigatus is a globally present opportunistic fungal pathogen that plays a key role in degrading organic matter. A. fumigatus can cause a vast array of diseases, collectively known as aspergilloses. The most serious of these is invasive aspergillosis, that has a mortality rate of 30 to 95% with treatment. Recent studies have indicated that the global A. fumigatus population consists of multiple divergent genetic clusters that are broadly distributed geographically. However, most of the previously analyzed samples have come from continental Eurasia and the Americas where the effects of historical or contemporary gene flow is difficult to distinguish. My thesis project, therefore, focused on analyzing the genetic diversity of the Auckland, New Zealand A. fumigatus population, as it is geographic distant from all previously analyzed populations. Here, we obtained 104 A. fumigatus isolates from Auckland and compared the genotypes of these isolates to population data obtained from nine other countries from Europe, Africa, North America, and Asia. The goal was to analyze the potential effects of historical differentiation and gene flow within this population. We determined that the Auckland population had a low, non-significant level of differentiation compared to most previously surveyed global populations. However, the Auckland population also contained unique genetic elements not present within populations from other geographic regions. Though the hypothesis of random recombination was rejected, we found abundant evidence for phylogenetic incompatibility and recombination within the Auckland A. fumigatus population. Lastly, we identified two triazole resistant strains within the Auckland population, with one carrying the common TR34/L98H cyp51A mutation. Our results suggest that contemporary gene flow, likely due to anthropogenic factors, is a major force shaping the New Zealand A. fumigatus population. These results contribute to our understanding of the high levels of gene flow observed within and among many geographic populations of A. fumigatus. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / Aspergillus fumigatus is a globally distributed fungal mold capable of causing serious diseases in individuals with weakened immune systems or lung damage. In the environment, A. fumigatus lives in the soil where it degrades organic matter and contributes to the cycling of nitrogen and carbon across the planet. Due to the airborne nature of its spores, people inhale this fungus daily, and those at risk may develop disease. These diseases, collectively known as aspergilloses, can result in long term chronic illnesses, and in the case of invasive aspergillosis, the death rate can be as high as 95%, even with treatment. Medical treatment of aspergilloses involves the use of antifungal drugs. However, some A. fumigatus strains have developed resistance. I am interested in the patterns of global genetic diversity of A. fumigatus populations. For my MSc thesis, I investigated the A. fumigatus population within Auckland, New Zealand, as it is both geographically isolated and distant from other previously surveyed populations. Our data illustrated that the New Zealand population contains pockets of unique diversity as well as high levels of similarity to the previously surveyed populations within Europe. My results suggest that human influences, likely due to travel and trade, have played a large role in shaping the genetic diversity of the A. fumigatus population from Auckland, New Zealand.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:mcmaster.ca/oai:macsphere.mcmaster.ca:11375/24921 |
| Date | January 2019 |
| Creators | Korfanty, Gregory |
| Contributors | Xu, Jianping, Biology |
| Source Sets | McMaster University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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