Scedosporium species in soils from various biomes in Northwestern Morocco

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 15; no. 2; p. e0228897
• Main Authors: Mouhajir, Abdelmounaim, Poirier, Wilfried, Angebault, Cécile, Rahal, Elkahkahi, Bouabid, Rachid, Bougnoux, Marie-Elisabeth, Kobi, Abdessamad, Zouhair, Rachid, Bouchara, Jean-Philippe, Giraud, Sandrine
• Format: Journal Article Web Resource
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 24.02.2020; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Analysis; Beef cattle; Biology; Biology and Life Sciences; Biomes; Climate; Cold; Conductivity; Contamination; Cystic fibrosis; Ecology; Ecology and Environmental Sciences; Ecosystem; Ecosystems; Electrical conductivity; Electrical resistivity; Environmental studies; Fungi; Health aspects; Human influences; Humans; Immunocompromised host; Immunocompromised hosts; Infection; Infections; Landfills; Life Sciences; Lungs; Microbiologie; Microbiology; Microbiology and Parasitology; Morocco; Multidisciplinary; Mycology; National parks; Nutrient content; Opportunist infection; Organic chemistry; Parameters; Pathogenic microorganisms; Pathogens; People and Places; Phosphorus; Physical Sciences; Pollution; Pollution sources; Risk reduction; River banks; Roadsides; Sanitary landfills; Santé publique et épidémiologie; Scedosporium; Scedosporium - genetics; Scedosporium - isolation & purification; Scedosporium - pathogenicity; Sciences du vivant; Sewage treatment; Soil; Soil contamination; Soil Microbiology; Soil sciences; Soil treatment; Soils; Species; Waste disposal sites; Waste management; Waste treatment; Waste treatment equipment; Wastewater; Wastewater facilities; Wastewater treatment; Wastewater treatment plants; Water pollution; Water treatment plants; Morocco; France; Austria; Netherlands; Australia
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228897

Scedosporium species are opportunistic pathogens causing various infections, including disseminated infections in severely immunocompromised patients. Preventive measures aiming to reduce the risk of exposure to these fungi require a better knowledge on their ecology and on the sources of contamination of the patients. In this context, 99 soil samples from the Rabat-Sale-Kenitra and Fez-Meknes regions in Morocco were analyzed. Samples were inoculated on the highly selective Scedo-Select III culture medium, and seven chemical parameters of the soils were measured. Scedosporium species were detected in 48 of the samples, with the highest density in soils from wastewater treatment plants and landfills, followed by those from roadsides and polluted riverbanks, thus confirming the impact of human activities on their ecology. Scedosporium apiospermum was the most common species, followed by S. boydii and S. aurantiacum. Analysis of the chemical parameters of the soils revealed the presence of Scedosporium species was mainly associated with a moderate electrical conductivity, a pH range of 7.0 to 7.6, a nutrient-rich content and a moderate phosphorus amount. Thereby, these results demonstrated the relatively high occurrence of Scedosporium in Morocco and highlighted the impact of phosphorus content on their ecology.