FRAC SC Dec 2014 Topic Aspergillus Aspergillus-Update FRAC SC Dec 17, 2014 Meeting in The Hague Situation in the Netherlands Project Rothamsted Research

FRAC SC Dec 2014 Topic Aspergillus FRAC participation (BASF, BCS, Syngenta)

FRAC SC Dec 2014 Topic Aspergillus

 The ministry of health did not finish a letter on the Dutch Aspergillus research.  In the debate in parliament on pesticides on December 4th, Aspergillus was not addressed. It was mentioned in an action plan of the Party of the Animals which was delivered to the parliament. This action plan focused on legal ways to ban pesticides. The secretary of state of the ministry of economic affairs promised to react on this action plan. Need to wait and see whether they will address Aspergillus.  Locally CLM (Centre For Agriculture and Environment) in cooperation with Prof Verweij has done/is doing some environmental screening on possible sources for the resistance. They seem to have focused on compost and flower bulbs use (?). Results shall be published. Information from the Netherlands

FRAC SC Dec 2014 Topic Aspergillus a)Agreement Number: b)Research Programme Title: “Understanding the sources and spread of azole resistance in environmental Aspergillus fumigatus populations” c)Principal Investigator: Bart Fraaije d)4 years = Dec 01, 2014 til Nov 31, 2018 Rothamsted Research

FRAC SC Dec 2014 Topic Aspergillus Scientific Advisory Board Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) or Project Management Group (PMG) to manage the project and acts as the ultimate project decision maker. 1-2x per year. Head: Prof. John Lucas Members: CropLife stakeholders Project lead Bart Fraaije and co-PI Jon West (responsible for the daily management of the project) Independent scientists Prof. Paul Verweij (Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center Dr. Paul Bowyer (University of Manchester) Dr. Paul Dyer (Nottingham University) Other staff employed on the project will also be invited to attend SABPMG meetings to ensure additional information flow and a wider scientific view on the data sets produced during the project. Linkage to dutch project sponsored by dutch government shall be ensured by regular contact and/or attending each other’s SABPMG meetings between the lead scientists of both projects (Prof. Paul Verweij and Dr. Bart Fraaije). Tb clarified for NL project.

FRAC SC Dec 2014 Topic Aspergillus Overall Objective of the project: We expect that this project will identify high risk areas for azole resistance development in the environment which will enable us to focus on at a later stage of this project or in follow up projects, defining risk factors and to build a basis for developing precautionary measures. Such measures could include restricting the use of azoles for particular applications, as well as sanitary measures, aimed at reducing the selection and spread of azole resistant isolates in the environment. PROJECT OBJECTIVES 1.Providing information on the temporal and spatial dynamics of airborne environmental A. fumigatus populations and spread of novel azole insensitive genotypes (e.g. TR34/L98H and TR46/Y121F/T289A) within populations in different geographic regions, including the United Kingdom, The Netherlands and Poland using spore trapping devices in combination with DNA-based detection of azole resistance conferring alleles. 2.Isolation and determination of the frequency of azole resistant A. fumigatus isolates in the environment from a wide range of sources and locations (e.g. food, fruit, flower bulbs, soil, compost, poultry houses, stables and aerosols) to identify areas of risk for azole resistance development.

FRAC SC Dec 2014 Topic Aspergillus 3.Determine the azole sensitivity status of current A. fumigatus soil populations from the Broadbalk continuous winter wheat experiment at Rothamsted Research receiving fungicide applications since late 1970s; and compare these with soil populations sampled from the Park Grass experiment at Rothamsted Research which is long-term pasture receiving no fungicides. 4.Characterisation of environmental azole-resistant A. fumigatus isolates and identification of the underlying resistance mechanisms. Compare the azole resistance mechanisms of environmental strains with those found in clinical isolates and establish if strains are genetically related. Genetic clustering of isolates with different resistance mechanism from different origins to explore if spread is more clonal or through sexually produced spores and source dependent. 5.Measure the rate of selection for azole resistance in environmental populations of A. fumigatus sampled from identified high risk areas before and after exposure to azoles.