Y. Nomoto et al., ASPERGILLUS-FUMIGATUS ASP FI DNA IS PREVALENT IN SPUTUM FROM PATIENTSWITH COAL-WORKERS PNEUMOCONIOSIS, Respiration, 64(4), 1997, pp. 291-295
Aspergillus fumigatus is an apportunistic nosocomial pathogen in immun
o-suppressed patients or in the lesion where the local defense mechani
sm was impaired. Patients with pneumoconiosis are known to be suscepti
ble to chronic necrotizing pulmonary aspergillosis. Therefore, we hypo
thesized that A. fumigatus might be prevalent in sputum from patients
with coal workers' pneumoconiosis, and also that asthmatic symptoms in
patients with coal workers' pneumoconiosis may be associated with the
presence of A. fumigatus. We tested for A. fumigatus in the sputum fr
om patients with coal workers' pneumoconiosis by nested polymerase cha
in reaction amplification of the AspfI gene. Sequences specific for th
is gene were detectable in 5 of 11 (45.5%) patients with coal workers'
pneumoconiosis with asthmatic symptoms (group A), 5 of 10 (50.0%) pat
ients with coal workers' pneumoconiosis without asthmatic symptoms (gr
oup B) and only 1 of 9 (11.1%) patients with chronic airflow obstructi
on without pneumoconiosis (group C). The frequency of the AspfI gene d
etection was significantly higher in groups A and B than in group C(p
< 0.05). The prevalence of A. fumigatus was not associated with asthma
tic symptoms. These results demonstrated that A. fumigatus was prevale
nt in patients with coal workers' pneumoconiosis. We speculate that co
lonization with A. fumigatus may be associated with this disease.