Molecular detection of airborne Coccidioides in Tucson, Arizona
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Abstract
Environmental surveillance of the soil-dwelling fungus Coccidioides is essential for the prevention of Valley fever, a disease primarily caused by inhalation of the arthroconidia. Methods for collecting and detectingCoccidioides in soil samples are currently in use by several laboratories; however, a method utilizing current air sampling technologies has not been formally demonstrated for the capture of airborne arthroconidia. In this study, we collected air/dust samples at two sites (Site A and Site B) in the endemic region of Tucson, Arizona, and tested a variety of air samplers and membrane matrices. We then employed a single-tube nested qPCR assay for molecular detection. At both sites, numerous soil samples (n = 10 at Site A and n = 24 at Site B) were collected and Coccidioides was detected in two samples (20%) at Site A and in eight samples (33%) at Site B. Of the 25 air/dust samples collected at both sites using five different air sampling methods, we detected Coccidioides in three samples from site B. All three samples were collected using a high-volume sampler with glass-fiber filters. In this report, we describe these methods and propose the use of these air sampling and molecular detection strategies for environmental surveillance of Coccidioides.
Suggested Citation
Chow, N.A., Griffin, D.W., Barker, B.M., Loparev, V.N., Litvintseva, A.P., 2016, Molecular detection of airborne Coccidioides in Tucson, Arizona: Medical Mycology, v. 54, no. 6, p. 584-592, https://doi.org/10.1093/mmy/myw022.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Molecular detection of airborne Coccidioides in Tucson, Arizona |
| Series title | Medical Mycology |
| DOI | 10.1093/mmy/myw022 |
| Volume | 54 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Publication Date | May 03, 2016 |
| Year Published | 2016 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Oxford Journals |
| Contributing office(s) | St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Toxic Substances Hydrology Program |
| Description | 9 p. |
| First page | 584 |
| Last page | 592 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| City | Tucson |
| Online Only (Y/N) | N |
| Additional Online Files (Y/N) | N |