Selective Flamingo Medium for the Isolation of Aspergillus fumigatus

Abstract

For various studies in the clinic as well as the environment, it is essential to be able to selectively isolate Aspergillus fumigatus from samples containing bacteria as well as various other fungi (mainly Mucorales). Six agar media were compared for effectiveness in selectively isolating Aspergillus fumigatus from agricultural plant waste, woodchip waste, green waste, soil, grass and air samples collected in The Netherlands at a 48 °C incubation. The Flamingo Medium incubated at 48 °C, provided the most effective condition for the isolation of A. fumigatus from environmental samples, since it effectively inhibited the growth of competing fungi (mainly Mucorales) present in the environmental samples. Flamingo Medium reduced the number of colonies of Mucorales species by 95% and recovered an average of 20−30% more A. fumigatus colonies compared to the other media. We further confirmed that Flamingo Medium can inhibit the growth of clinical Mucorales, which occasionally present in patient’s tissue and can also be used for clinical applications. We suggest the use of Flamingo Medium as an efficient method for the study of A. fumigatus from important environmental niches for which there is increasing interest. Additionally, it can also be used in the clinic to isolate A. fumigatus especially from tissue contaminated with Mucorales.