P158 Epidemiology of aspergillosis in Kuwait: a nationwide study

Abstract Poster session 2, September 22, 2022, 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM   Objectives Aspergillus is the most common filamentous fungi involved in human infections. It is characterized by causing various forms of clinical presentations, ie, invasive, chronic, and allergic forms. It is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. In spite of this, the epidemiology of Aspergillus infections is scarce in Kuwait. This study aims to describe the epidemiology of aspergillosis in Kuwait on a national scale. Methods This is a 2-year retrospective observational study designed to analyze the demographic and mycological data on all Aspergillus isolates derived from clinical samples processed or submitted to the Mycology reference laboratory (MRL) by all government microbiology laboratories in Kuwait. Using the Mycology reference laboratory surveillance system, the required data was collected. It covers patients’ age, gender, type of clinical samples, care settings (outpatient, wards, or ICU), the name of the Aspergillus species, and antifungal susceptibility for Aspergillus fumigatus. Species-level identification of Aspergillus was mostly based on morphological characteristics, except in a few cases where MALDI-TOF or PCR-sequencing of rDNA were performed. Antifungal susceptibility testing was done using Etest method according to manufacturer instructions. EUCAST clinical breakpoints were followed for the interpretation of antifungal susceptibility results for A. fumigatus species. Results In total, 327 Aspergillus isolates from 277 patients were found. A total of 34/277 patients had 2 or more samples yielding either the same Aspergillus spp. (n = 17) or a different species (n = 17). The most prevalent type of clinical specimens was respiratory sample (n = 196, 60%), followed by ear swabs (n = 64, 19.6%), and nails (n = 24, 7.3%). A. niger (n = 147) was the most isolated species, involving 45% of aspergillosis cases followed by four other species including A. fumigatus (n = 64), A. flavus (n = 55), A. terreus (n = 38), and A. nidulans (n = 13). A total of 10 cases were caused by rare Aspergillus spp. All A. fumigatus isolates were susceptible to voriconazole. Itraconazole also exhibited excellent in vitro activity against nearly all A. fumigatus except 4 isolates that were resistant. Conclusions This study reveals the epidemiology of aspergillosis from several perspectives. It gives some insights on the burden of Aspergillosis in Kuwait, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Respiratory samples were the predominant positive samples suggesting high rates of pulmonary aspergillosis. A. niger, not A. fumigatus or A. flavus, is the most prevalent agent of aspergillosis in Kuwait. Azole resistance is rare among A. fumigatus. Further studies are needed to explore the spectrum of clinical presentations with special emphasis on pulmonary aspergillosis.