ASPERGILLUS-FUMIGATUS ASP FI DNA IS PREVALENT IN SPUTUM FROM PATIENTSWITH COAL-WORKERS PNEUMOCONIOSIS

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.