
About Us
Learn about the laboratories and scientists involved in this project!
Why this project?
Fungi are an increasing source of human and animal infections, with many of them hard to treat due to the emergence of resistant fungi. Based on the collective experience of the Latin American Medical Mycology Network (LAMMN) in environmental studies and antifungal testing and the global emergence of citizen-science research, a two-level survey of environmental azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus strains was proposed. This encompasses a broad community participation at the first level to collect A. fumigatus in the environment, followed, at the second level, by a detailed azole screening and georeferenced relatedness analysis of the fungal strains found.
Of note, A. fumigatus is one of the most frequent filamentous fungi present in the environment around us, which can be responsible for plant and human diseases, some of them are life-threatening due to azole resistance. Azoles are a class of antifungal drugs, some of them commonly used to treat patients, while a variety of others are largely used as a pesticide in the agricultural setting. Thus, the knowledge of the frequency of azole-resistant A. fumigatus in the environment can help scientists, public health specialists and physicians to respond quickly and choose better antifungal treatments for patients infected by this fungus and help governments to make policies to better control the use of these drugs in the agricultural setting.
The Countries
This project is an initiative of the Latin American Medical Mycology Network (LAMMN), a collaboration between 26 laboratories from 12 different countries around Latin America, in addition to research groups from Australia and France, with the goal of investigating the impact of widespread use of azole class antifungals in both medical and agricultural application on azole-resistance in fungi, particularly A. fumigatus.
Explore the map and click on the flags to see participating research groups, institutes and universities!
Project Objectives
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To evaluate the presence of azole-resistant A. fumigatus isolates in air samples in Latin America.
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To assess the presence of mutations in the Cyp51A gene of azole-resistant A. fumigatus isolates.
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To compare the genetic relationship between resistant strains found in the air of different countries of Latin America.
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To evaluate the relationship between the use of azole agricultural fungicides and the presence of azole-resistant A. fumigatus isolates.
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To establish a network in Latin America for resistance monitoring of Aspergillus and other studies that can be carried out afterward.


Phase 1
Sampling and Citizen Science
For Phase 1 of the project, we will conduct an air sampling campaign using a citizen science approach, coordinated by 26 laboratories in Latin America including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
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Citizen scientists will be recruited by a social media campaign.
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Participants will be selected to represent high and low agriculture use areas.
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Air sampling will be performed four times between 2022 and 2023, e.g., March, June, September, and December.
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Air sampling will be performed at the same site in all sampling events.
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The citizen scientists will receive two air samplers (e.g., sticky plastic strips), which should be securely placed outside for at least 10 hours and then returned to the reference laboratory by prepaid envelopes.
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All necessary materials for air sampling, including their shipment to the reference laboratories, will be supplied via the 26 coordinating laboratories, meaning the citizen scientists will have no expense when participating in the project.
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Participation is voluntarily and without financial compensation.
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Citizen scientists who are interested in participating in the Latin America wide project, will need to register via the questionnaire provided on the project webpage, through which they can obtain information regarding the samples they have taken 4 times over one year, including: positivity for A. fumigatus.
Phase 2
A. fumigatus identification and antifungal testing
For Phase 2, four reference laboratories (located in Brazil, Peru, Colombia, and Mexico) will perform the A. fumigatus isolation, identification, azole resistance screening, and CYP51A mutation screening.
A detailed antifungal susceptibility test for the suspected azole-resistant A. fumigatus strains identified in azole resistance screening will be carried out at two reference laboratories in Brazil.
In addition, a genetic analysis (microsatellite) will be performed with the isolates carrying the same CYP51A mutation after screening, followed by a georeferencing relatedness analysis of those isolates in two laboratories in Brazil in collaboration with an Australian laboratory and in Colombia in collaboration with a French laboratory

Principle Investigators
Professor
Wieland Meyer
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Brazil
University of Sydney (USYD)/Curtin University, Australia

Leader of the Molecular Mycology Research Laboratory (MMRL), Prof. Meyer's research focuses on the evolution, phylogeny, speciation, population genetics, fungal genomics, molecular epidemiology, strain typing of clinically significant fungi with the goal of developing fast, simple, and reliable molecular identification techniques for the diagnosis of fungal infections in humans as well as supporting public health responses to newly emerging pathogenic fungi and outbreaks.
Molecular Mycology Research Laboratory
Professor
Marcia Melhem
Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS), Brazil
Instituto Adolfo Lutz (IAL), Brazil

Specialist in pharmaceutical-biochemistry that works in the study of fungi, their diversity, their habitat, the plasticity they have to adapt and survive under different conditions, and in humans and other animals, where they can cause various mycoses in mild or very severe and fatal forms.
Instituto Adolfo Lutz – Núcleo de Micologia
http://www.ial.sp.gov.br/ial/centros-tecnicos/centro-de-parasitologia-e-micologia/equipe-tecnica
Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul- Faculdade de Medicina-Laboratório de Doneças Infecciosas e Parasitárias
Professor
Luciana Trilles
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Brazil

Curator of the Pathogenic Fungi Culture Collection at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (INI). She is biologist, specialist in medical mycology, and her research focuses on the diagnosis and epidemiology of invasive fungal infections, and the ecology and diversity of their agents.
Pathogenic Fungi Culture Collection (CFP)
Mycology Laboratory/INI
https://www.ini.fiocruz.br/micologia.html
Professor
Claudia M. Parra-Giraldo
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (PUJ), Bogota, Colombia

Prof. Claudia Parra is currently an associate professor at the Faculty of Sciences of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (PUJ). She has an undergraduate degree as a clinical laboratory technician (Bacteriologist) and a Master's degree in Microbiology with an emphasis on immunology, from the PUJ and PhD from the Complutense University of Madrid (2013). She is the founder and coordinator of the Human Proteomics and Mycoses research group (2014) which investigates the epidemiology and clinical diagnosis of invasive fungal infections, with particular focus on Candida, Aspergillus and Cryptocccus.
Infectious Diseases Research Group - Human Proteomics and Mycoses Research Unit
https://www.javeriana.edu.co/investigacion/semillero-de-enfermedades-infecciosas
Associate Professor
Plinio Trabasso
University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas

Associate Professor at the School of Medicine, UNICAMP. He has experience in the area of Medicine with an emphasis in Infectious Diseases and Molecular Biology. He has served as the Medical Director of the General Hospital at UNICAMP from 2014 to 2018 and as Deputy Director from 2018 to 2021. Currently he serves Faculty Adviser in the University General Coordination of UNICAMP. The main fields of his research are Hospital Epidemiology; Antimicrobial Stewardship, Multi-Drug Resistant Organisms; Infections in Immunocompromised Hosts, Fungal Infections, and Molecular Biology.
See his publications at:
Professor
Maria Luiza Moretti
University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campnias

Professor of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, UNICAMP. Vice president of the University of Campinas (2021-2024). She works in several research fields, such as, medical infectious diseases with focus on hospital epidemiology, medical mycology, antimicrobial stewardship. She has experience in conducting international research groups in the field of medical mycology. She has experience in working on hospital and community acquired epidemics, including the leadership of controlling programs to minimize the effects of the transmission of microorganism and the diseases. She is the director of the Laboratory of Hospital Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases of the Medical School. Recently, she has worked actively in the COVID 19 epidemic at UNICAMP, leading and managing the COVID 19 program in the health care area and for the all the staff members of UNICAMP.
Doctor
Beatriz Bustamante
Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH), Lima, Peru

Medical specialist in infectious diseases with experience in infections caused by fungi, and special interest in endemic mycoses in Peru, the resistance of fungal isolates to antifungals and in improving the knowledge of these diseases for health personnel. Dr Bustamante currently works as an assistant physician at the Cayetano Heredia Hospital and as a coordinator at the clinical mycology laboratory at the Alexander von Humboldt Institute of Tropical Medicine at the Cayetano Heredia Peruvian University.
Her working group is made up of: MSc. Edgar Neyra, Tec. Med Susy Aranibar, Tec. Lab. Rosario Velando y Tec Lab. Elena Grigoletto.
https://investigacion.cayetano.edu.pe/catalogo/saludintegral/lmc
Professor
Laura Castañón-Olivera
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico (UNAM), Mexico City, Mexico

After completing a Master of Tropical Medicine from the Instituto de Medicina Tropical Pedro Kourí in Cuba and a Doctorate in Sciences from UNAM, Prof. Castañón joined the Mycology Unit at the Faculty of Medicine at UNAM. Her research focuses on cryptococcosis epidemiology, distribution and frequency of coccidioidomycosis, and intra-hospital fungal infections in Mexico.
The Laboratories and Teams
Argentina
University of Buenos Aires
Laboratory Role:
Citizen Science Sample Collection
Researchers:
Noma Beatriz Fernandez
Universidade National del Nordeste
Laboratory Role:
Citizen Science Sample Collection
Researchers:
Gustavo Giusiano
Brazil
University of Campinas (UNICAMP)
Laboratory Role:
Clinical Strain Collection
Strain Identification
Antifungal resistant mutation detection
Researchers:
Maria Luiza Moretti
Silviane Duarte Rodrigues
Plinio Trabasso
Larissa Ortolan Levy
Cibele Aparecida Tararam
Vanderlei Braga
Marcelos Campos Albieri
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ)
Laboratory Role:
Strain Identification
Genotyping
Researchers:
Luciana Trilles
Wieland Meyer
Universidade Estadual do Piauí
Laboratory Role:
Citizen Science Sample Collection
Researchers:
Liline Maria Soares Martins
Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS)
Laboratory Role:
MIC Determination
Researchers:
Marcia Melhem
James Venturini
Universidade Federal do Triangulo Mineiro (UFTM)
Laboratory Role:
Citizen Science Sample Collection
Researchers:
Mario Leon Silva Vergara
Kennio Ferreira Paim
Instituto Adolfo Lutz
Laboratory Role:
MIC Determination
Researchers:
Marcia Melhem
Lucas Xavier Bonfietti
Juliana Possatto Fernandes Takahashi
Laboratory Role:
Citizen Science Sample Collection
Researchers:
Liline Maria Soares Martins
Chile
Universidad de Chile
Laboratory Role:
Citizen Science Sample Collection
Researchers:
Eduardo Andres Alvarez Duarte
Universidad Austral de Chile
Laboratory Role:
Citizen Science Sample Collection
Researchers:
Patricio Godoy
Colombia
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (PUJ)
Laboratory Role:
Strain Identification
Environmental Sampling
Genotyping
Researchers:
Claudia M. Parra-Giraldo
Universidad del Rosario
Laboratory Role:
Citizen Science Sample Collection
Researchers:
Sandra Carolina Firacative Ropero
Beatiz Lucia Gomez-Giraldo
Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Laboratory Role:
Citizen Science Sample Collection
Researchers:
Carlos Alvarez-Moreno
Universidad Metropolitana Barranquilla
Laboratory Role:
Citizen Science Sample Collection
Researchers:
Maria Clara Noguera Angarita
Instituto Nacional de Salud
Laboratory Role:
Project Advisory
Citizen Science Sample Collection
Researchers:
Elizabeth Castañeda
Costa Rica
Universidad de Costa Rica
Laboratory Role:
Citizen Science Sample Collection
Researchers:
Norma Teresa Gross
Daniela Jaikel-Viquez
Ecuador
Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Ecuador
Laboratory Role:
Citizen Science Sample Collection
Researchers:
Lucia Jeannete Zurita-Salinas
Andrea Lopez
Guatemala
Universidad de San Carlos
Laboratory Role:
Citizen Science Sample Collection
Researchers:
Anneliese Moller Sundfeldt
Blanca Samayoa Herrera
Mexico
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)
Laboratory Role:
Clinical Strain Collection
Strain Identification
MIC Determination
Researchers:
Laura Castañón-Olivera
Edith Sanchez-Paredes
Carolina Segundo-Zaragoza
Universidad Autonoma de Noevo Leon
Laboratory Role:
Citizen Science Sample Collection
Researchers:
Gloria Maria Gonzales-Gonzalez
Paraguay
Instituto Regional de Investigacion en Salud
Laboratory Role:
Citizen Science Sample Collection
Researchers:
Gladys Mercedes Estigarriba-Sanabria
Peru
Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia
Laboratory Role:
Strain Identification
MIC Determination
Clinical Strain Collection
Researchers:
Beatriz Bustamante
Edgar Neyra
Uruguay
Ministerio de Salud
Laboratory Role:
Citizen Science Sample Collection
Researchers:
Andres Puime
Venezuela
Instituto Rafael Rangel
Laboratory Role:
Citizen Science Sample Collection
Researchers:
Maribel Dolante
Victor Alarcon Fernandez
Australia
University of Sydney
Laboratory Role:
Administration
Genotyping
Researchers:
Wieland Meyer
Curtin University
Laboratory Role:
Administration
Genotyping
Researchers:
Wieland Meyer
France
Université de Nantes
Laboratory Role:
Genotyping
Researchers:
Patrice P LePape