Triazole fungicides and the selection of resistance to medical triazoles in the opportunistic mould Aspergillus fumigatus

Azole resistance is an emerging problem in the opportunistic mould Aspergillus fumigatus. The triazoles are the most important agents for the management of Aspergillus diseases in humans. Selection for acquired resistance may occur in the hospital setting through exposure to high doses of azoles during azole therapy, but evidence is accumulating that A. fumigatus may become resistant to medical triazoles through environmental exposure to fungicides. The recovery of A. fumigatus isolates resistant to the medical triazoles from azole‐naive patients as well as from the environment strongly indicates an environmental route of resistance selection. Molecule alignment studies have identified five fungicides that share a very similar molecule structure with the medical triazoles, and thus may have selected for mechanisms that confer resistance to both groups of compounds. It is important to explore further the presumed fungicide‐driven route of resistance selection in order to implement effective preventive measures as the prevalence of azole resistance in A. fumigatus continues to increase and causes major challenges in the management of azole‐resistant Aspergillus diseases. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Environmental fungicides and triazole resistance in Aspergillus

Fungal diseases are problematic in both human health and agriculture. Treatment options are limited and resistance may emerge. The relatively recent recognition of triazole resistance in Aspergillus fumigatus has prompted questioning of the origin of resistance. While multiple mechanisms are described in clinical isolates from triazole‐treated patients, some de novo resistance is also recognised, especially attributable to TR₃₄/L98H. Such strains probably arose in the environment, and, indeed, multiple studies have now demonstrated TR₃₄/L98H triazole resistance strains of A. fumigatus from soil. Docking and other in vitro studies are consistent with environmental resistance induction through exposure to certain triazole fungicides, notably difenoconazole, propiconazole, epoxiconazole, bromuconazole and tebuconazole. This article addresses the potential implications of this issue for both human health and food security. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry     

Significance of ABC transporters in fungicide sensitivity and resistance

ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters are members of a protein superfamily which can be responsible for efflux of drugs from cells of target organisms. In this way, the transporters may provide a mechanism of protection against cytotoxic drugs. In laboratory-generated mutants of fungi, overproduction of ABC transporters can cause multi-drug resistance to azoles and other non-related toxicants. The impact of this mechanism of resistance in field populations with decreased sensitivity to azoles remains to be established. Inhibitors of ABC transporter activity may synergize activity of azoles to populations of both sensitive and azole-resistant pathogens. The natural function of ABC transporters in plant pathogenic fungi may relate to transport of plant-defence compounds or fungal pathogenicity factors. Therefore, inhibitors of ABC transporter activity may act as disease control agents with an indirect mode of action. ©1997 SCI     

Identifying when it is financially beneficial to increase or decrease fungicide dose as resistance develops

When fungicide efficacy declines due to the development of resistance in the pathogen population, growers have to either change to an alternative mode of action or adjust their treatment programme. Adjustments may include either decreasing (or stopping) use of the mode of action, or increasing the total dose applied (by increasing number of applications and/or dose per application, where permitted) to try to maintain effective disease control. This study explores the circumstances under which increasing/decreasing total applied fungicide is financially optimal. A model based on field data is used to optimize the dose of fungicide applied when fungicide resistance develops in a pathogen population. The model is used to explore contrasting pathosystems and fungicide classes. When qualitative fungicide resistance develops, the shape of the disease–yield loss relationship determines whether the optimal total dose increases or decreases with increasing frequency of resistance in the pathogen population. When quantitative fungicide resistance develops, such that effective control can still be obtained with doses close to the maximum permitted dose, the optimal dose increases with increasing frequency of resistance in the pathogen population.     

Assessing the risk of resistance in Pseudoperonospora cubensis to the fungicide flumorph in vitro

BACKGROUND: The oomycete fungicide flumorph is a recently introduced carboxylic acid amide (CAA) fungicide. In order to evaluate the risk of developing field resistance to flumorph, the authors compared it with dimethomorph and azoxystrobin with respect to the ease of obtaining resistant isolates to these fungicides, the level of resistance and their fitness in the laboratory. RESULTS: Mutants with a high level of resistance to azoxystrobin were isolated readily by adaptation and UV irradiation, and their fitness was as good as that of the parent isolates. Attempts to generate mutants of Pseudoperonospora cubensis (Burk. & MA Curtis) Rostovsev resistant to flumorph and dimethomorph by sporangia adaptation on fungicide-treated leaves were unsuccessful. However, moderately resistant mutants were isolated using UV mutagenesis, but their resistance level [maximum resistance factor (MRF) < 100] was much lower than that of the azoxystrobin-resistant mutant (MRF = 733). With the exception of stability of resistance, all mutants showed low pathogenicity and sporulation compared with wild-type isolates and azoxystrobin-resistant mutants. There is cross-resistance between flumorph and dimethomorph, suggesting that they have the same resistance mechanism. CONCLUSION: The above results suggest that the resistance risk of flumorph may be similar to that of dimethomorph but lower than that of azoxystrobin and can be classified as moderate. Thus, it can be managed by appropriate product use strategies.     

Rapid method for detecting resistance to a QoI fungicide in Plasmopara viticola populations

BACKGROUND: The increasing occurrence of Qo inhibitor (QoI)‐fungicide‐resistant Plasmopara viticola (Berk. & MA Curtis) Berl. & DeToni populations is becoming a serious problem in the control of grapevine downy mildew worldwide. RESULTS: The authors have developed a rapid method for detecting resistance to a QoI fungicide, azoxystrobin, in P. viticola populations using the nested PCR‐RFLP method. With this method, a glycine‐to‐alanine substitution was discovered at codon 143 in the cytochrome b gene of P. viticola populations found in Japan. CONCLUSION: It is proposed that the nested PCR‐RFLP method is a high‐speed, sensitive and reliable tool for detecting azoxystrobin‐resistant P. viticola populations. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Monogenic resistance to a new fungicide, JS399-19, in Gibberella zeae

The fungicide JS399-19 is a novel cyanoacrylate fungicide active against Gibberella zeae , and has been marketed in China for control of fusarium head blight (FHB) on wheat. Forty-three isolates sensitive to fungicide JS399-19 were collected from three commercial wheat fields in China. Forty-five isolates resistant to JS399-19, obtained from five sensitive isolates by selection for resistance to JS399-19, were selected. Three sensitivity levels were identified: sensitive (S), moderately resistant (MR) and highly resistant (HR) to JS399-19, based on a previous study. Eight isolates representing the three sensitivity-level phenotypes were randomly selected for a study on the inheritance of JS399-19 resistance by analysing the sensitivity of hybrid F₁ progeny. A nitrate-non-utilizing mutant ( nit ) was used as a genetic marker to confirm that individual perithecia were the result of outcrossing. Five crosses were assessed: S × S, S × HR, MR × HR, HR × HR and MR × S. In crosses between parents with different sensitivity levels, such as S × HR, MR × HR and MR × S, the progeny fitted a 1:1 segregation ratio of the two parental phenotypes. No segregation was observed in the crosses S × S and HR × HR. It was concluded that the MR and HR phenotypes in G. zeae were conferred by different allelic mutations within the same locus. In these isolates, resistance to JS399-19 was not affected by modifying genes or cytoplasmic components.     

麦类作物对蚜虫抗性机制及抗性遗传研究进展

小麦蚜虫是小麦上的重大害虫, 严重威胁小麦产量和粮食安全。种植抗虫品种为最经济有效的麦蚜防控措施之一, 充分了解小麦品种对蚜虫的抗性及其机制是培育与利用抗性品种的基础。本文对近10年来小麦抗蚜品种的鉴定筛选、抗蚜机理、抗蚜基因与抗性遗传, 以及转基因抗蚜小麦创制等研究进展进行了系统综述, 并对今后研究进行展望, 以期为深入研究小麦对蚜虫抗性机制, 促进抗虫小麦改良, 并为抗虫品种在麦蚜绿色防控中应用提供参考。     

云南省小麦品种(系)苗期抗秆锈性评价及3个重要抗病基因的分子检测

正小麦秆锈病是严重影响小麦产量的病害之一。小麦秆锈菌新小种Ug99及其变异菌株的出现~([1]),随后在肯尼亚和埃塞俄比亚引起的流行,引起了全球对小麦抗秆锈性的再次关注~([2,3])。云南省地处中国西南边境,历史上是中国小麦秆锈菌主要越冬区,为小麦秆锈病的流行提供初菌源。近几年我们对小麦秆锈病的调查研究发现,即使在全国各地几乎见不到该病的情况下,云南省每年均有小麦秆锈     

Pavon76苗期抗小麦叶锈性基因的推导

 选用19个具不同毒性基因组合的小麦叶锈菌致病类型对墨西哥品种Pavon76进行了抗叶锈性基因的推导。通过与48个抗叶锈单/双基因系的反应型比较,鉴定出该品种中可能含有Lr1、Lr3、L410、L413、Lr14a、Lr34和LrB抗性基因。     

Biocontrol strain of Bacillus subtilis AF 1 rapidly induces lipoxygenase in groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) compared to crown rot pathogen Aspergillus niger

Metabolic products of polyunsaturated fatty acids have been variously implicated in control of microbial pathogens. Induced resistance has been shown as one of the mechanisms of biological control by plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). This paper reports a significant lipoxygenase (LOX) activity in groundnut seedlings with production of 13-hydroperoxyoctadecadienoic acid (13-HPODE) and 13-hydroperoxyoctadecatrienoic acid (13-HPOTrE) as major products with linoleic acid (LA) and -linolenic acid (ALA), respectively. Both the hydroperoxides are inhibitory to the growth of Aspergillus niger as measured in micro titer plates. Ours is the first report on induction of LOX activities in groundnut on treatment with a PGPR strain Bacillus subtilis AF 1, and with crown-rot pathogen, A. niger. Treatment with B. subtilis AF 1 enhanced LOX levels in groundnut similarly but earlier to A. niger – treatment. This induction of LOX during activation of growth and pathogen infection was discussed in light of the reported involvement of LOX both in growth and development as well as in plant-pathogen interaction, particularly induced disease resistance.     

A new blast resistance gene identified in the Indian native rice cultivar Aus373 through allelism and linkage tests

Blast, caused by Pyricularia grisea , is a major constraint on rice production. To widen genetic diversity for disease resistance, the Indian native rice cultivar Aus373 was screened by F₂ segregation analyses to investigate the genetic basis of its high resistance. Aus373 was crossed with a series of Japanese differential cultivars (JDCs) and the Chinese susceptible cultivar Lijiangxintuanheigu (LTH). The resistance ratios of subsequent F₂ progenies were used to determine the number of blast-resistance loci present as well as allelic relationships with known loci. Resistance of Aus373 was governed by dominant alleles at two loci, one at the Pi-k locus and the second apparently at a new locus linked to an isozyme gene Amp-1 with a recombination fraction of 37.9 ± 3.0% on chromosome 2. This putative new locus and allele were designated Pi16 (t).     

Mutants in wheat showing multipathogen resistance to biotrophic fungal pathogens

Five fast-neutron-derived mutants were isolated from the wheat line Hobbit 'sib' that show enhanced field resistance towards Puccinia striiformis f.sp. tritici , the causal agent of yellow rust. Subsequent testing showed the yellow rust resistance phenotypes to differ between mutants, to be expressed at different growth stages and, in some cases, to show an isolate interaction. Three mutants, I3-48, I3-49 and I3-54, exhibited an enhanced yellow rust resistance phenotype from the third seedling leaf onwards, while mutants I3-27 and I3-30 did not show an altered yellow rust phenotype until later growth stages. Additional resistance for brown rust (causal agent Puccinia triticina ) was identified in mutants I3-27, I3-30, I3-48 and I3-49, and for powdery mildew caused by Blumeria graminis f.sp. tritici in mutants I3-27, I3-30, I3-48 and I3-54, although in some cases the resistance was isolate-specific.