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Does fungicide application in vineyards induce resistance to medical azoles in Aspergillus species?

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Abstract

This study assessed if the use of sterol demethylase inhibitor fungicides in vineyard production can induce resistance to azoles in Aspergillus strains and if it can induce selection of resistant species. We also tried to identify the Aspergillus species most prevalent in the vineyards. Two vineyards from northern Portugal were selected from “Vinhos Verdes” and “Douro” regions. The vineyards were divided into plots that were treated or not with penconazole (PEN). In each vineyard, air, soil, and plant samples were collected at three different times. The strains of Aspergillus spp. were isolated and identified by morphological and molecular techniques. We identified 46 Aspergillus section Nigri, eight Aspergillus fumigatus, seven Aspergillus lentulus, four Aspergillus wentii, two Aspergillus flavus, two Aspergillus terreus, one Aspergillus calidoustus, one Aspergillus westerdijkiae, one Aspergillus tamarii, and one Eurotium amstelodami. Aspergillus strains were evaluated for their susceptibility to medical azoles used in human therapy (itraconazole, posaconazole, and voriconazole) and to agricultural azoles (PEN) used in the prevention and treatment of plant diseases. The isolates showed moderate susceptibility to voriconazole. We did not observe any decrease of susceptibility to the medical azoles tested throughout the testing period in any of the treated plots, although some of the resistant species were isolated from there.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) through grants: CEQUIMED-PEst-OE/SAU/UI4040/2011; Reitoria da Universidade do Porto-PP-IJUP2010. The authors would also like to acknowledge the technical association ADVID and the viticulture companies Quinta da Aveleda and Symington Family Estates for the facilities in fields experiments. M. A. Faria thanks financial support from the European Union (FEDER funds through COMPETE) and National Funds (FCT, Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia) through project Pest-C/EQB/LA0006/2013. The work also received financial support from the European Union (FEDER funds) under the framework of QREN through Project NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000069. To all financing sources, the authors are greatly indebted.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CEQUIMED-UP/Serviço de Microbiologia, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal

    Magali Lago, André Natário, Carla Fernandes & Eugénia Pinto

  2. REQUIMTE/I3A, Departamento de Geociências, Ambiente e Ordenamento do Território, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-661, Vila do Conde, Portugal

    Ana Aguiar

  3. REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal

    Miguel Faria

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  1. Magali Lago
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  2. Ana Aguiar
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  6. Eugénia Pinto
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Correspondence to Eugénia Pinto.

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Lago, M., Aguiar, A., Natário, A. et al. Does fungicide application in vineyards induce resistance to medical azoles in Aspergillus species?. Environ Monit Assess 186, 5581–5593 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-014-3804-8

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