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application/pdf, Aspergillus fumigatus is the most prevalent species that causes aspergillosis. A. fumigatus strains with tandem repeats in the cyp51A promoter have emerged in the environment. Aspergillus species other than A. fumigatus have also been recognized as causative agents of aspergillosis; however, they show lower susceptibility to antifungals compared with A. fumigatus. Therefore, it is important to precisely identify Aspergillus species and determine their antifungal susceptibility. Herein, we collected 119 mold strains isolated from clinical specimens collected at a hospital between November 2013 and December 2018. The collected strains were identified by sequencing several regions, including internal transcribed spacers, and determined their susceptibility to the antifungals itraconazole, voriconazole, and amphotericin B. Of 119 strains, 107 were Aspergillus species, which were identified as A. fumigatus (67), Aspergillus section Nigri (21), A. flavus (7), A. terreus (6), and A. nidulans (6). In Aspergillus section Nigri, the number of A. niger was less than the number of A. welwitschiae and A. tubingensis. Two azole-resistant A. fumigatus samples were included among the isolates. Four of the eight A. tubingensis isolates showed less susceptibility to voriconazole; however, all isolates of A. niger and A. welwitschiae were susceptible to itraconazole and voriconazole. Because of lack of susceptibility data for non-fumigatus Aspergillus and an increasing frequency of antifungal resistance among A. fumigatus, our data along with further surveillance may contribute to determining the frequency and susceptibility of Aspergillus spp. clinical isolates in Japan. © 2019 Japanese Society of Chemotherapy and The Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases

application/pdf, Azole antifungals are used not only clinically for fungal infections but also used as agricultural fungicides. Recently, azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus containing a tandem repeat in the promoter region of cyp51A combined with amino acid substitution(s) appears in the environment in Eurasia, especially in several European countries. Although azole fungicides have been used in Japan, especially in Hokkaido, surveillance and characterization of A. fumigatus in Hokkaido have not been reported. In this study, we collected soil samples from farms that used an azole fungicide in the Tokachi area of eastern Hokkaido, isolated 91 A. fumigatus strains, and determined the minimal inhibitory concentrations of medical azoles required for these strains. Moreover, because causative agent A. fumigatus is ubiquitous in the air and acquired from the environment, we collected 22 clinical isolates of A. fumigatus to measure their susceptibility to medical azoles in a hospital in the Tokachi area. Our data show that almost all A. fumigatus isolates retained susceptibility to medical azoles. Clinical isolates OKH34 and OKH6 showed 8 and 2 mu g/mL of voriconazole, respectively, as the minimal inhibitory concentration. Both isolates did not contain tandem repeat in cyp51A promoter region. An isolate contained G448S mutation in cyp51A conferring voriconazole resistance, which is the first report from Japan. Our data shows the existence of azole-resistant and low azole-susceptible clinical isolates and highlight the necessity for continuous surveillance in Japan because resistant A. fumigatus strains can arise through clinical or environmental selection or could be introduced from overseas.

昭和48年全国商工連合会の地場産業実態調査によると,全国地場産業地の数は321となっており,(年商額3億円以上),地域別に見ると関東以西が90%以上集まっており,東北・北海道と北は22とそのウエイトは低い。また関西以西の産地が過半数を占めている。業種別には繊維が圧倒的に多く,全体の34.6%を占めている。また321の産地を見ると大都市型は20地区であり,全体の6.2%にしかすぎず,地方都市型地場産業が圧倒的に多く存在している。中小企業庁の産地概況調査による業種別企業数と生産額を見ると,企業数は65,360といわれ,生産額は3兆6,895億円に達しているが,企業数から見るといく分過少に報告されているようである。業種別には,やはり繊維が過半数を占め雑貨がこれに次いでいる。この調査では,藩政時代以前に産地が形成されたものを伝統型産地とされているが,その割合は企業数では46.7%,生産額では29.7%を占め,伝統型産地では一番多いのが窯業関係とされている。石川県の地場産業を見た場合,その構成は全体の51.2%と過半数を示す繊維が最大であるが,風土的特性,また歴史的背景に基づいて進展してきた九谷焼・輪島塗・山中漆器・加賀友禅・金沢漆器・金沢箔といった伝統型産業が強く存在し,全国的にも知られている。産業形態は小零細企業群として構成され,分業的形態が多いが繊維産業より石川県の地場産業の本流といわれている。昭和52年度石川県中小企業白書によると,輪島塗は本命ともいわれる椀・盆・箱物が伸び,年間を通じ順調な推移を見せているが,山中漆品・九谷焼・金沢箔等については伸び悩みの感があり,研究開発による企業としての生かし方,市場性に対する効果的振興と,その期待に対する具体的な対策を速急に必要と要望されている現状である。