EXTREME DNA-SEQUENCE VARIATION IN ISOLATES OF ASPERGILLUS-FUMIGATUS

DNA sequence analysis of the alkaline protease gene was used to invest igate two Aspergillus fumigatus strains isolated from ostriches (QLD1 and NSW3) and one environmental isolate (FRR 1266) that have shown gen etic variation in previous analyses. The results showed that the QLD1 sequence was virtually identical to the published sequences for three human isolates but NSW3 differed in >6% and FRR 1266 in >10% of the nu cleotides that were analysed. An RFLP assay was designed to determine the distribution of these land other) genetic variants among environme ntal and clinical isolates of A. fumigatus. (C) 1998 Published by Else vier Science B.V.