Emerging Antifungal Resistance in Falco Species: A Novel Model for Human Medicine

Antifungal resistance is a growing concern in the medical community, as fungal infections are becoming increasingly difficult to treat. In this study, Falco species were used as novel models for studying antifungal resistance since Aspergillosis, a fungal disease is common in falcons. The most isolated fungi in this study were A. fumigatus, A. flavus, A. niger, and A. terreus, all of which can cause aspergillosis in falcons. Isavuconazole, posaconazole, and voriconazole had the lowest MICs among the drugs tested, suggesting that they may be effective treatment options. However, this study showed that 34% of the isolates were resistant to itraconazole, which is an increase from 21% in 2006. There is no resistance to voriconazole found in 2006 and 2011, but a 9% resistance rate was noted in 2022. Similarly, there is no resistance to posaconazole and isavuconazole was noticed in 2011, but resistance of 4.7% and 5.8%, respectively was noticed in 2022. Amphotericin B, which showed a 51% resistance rate in 2006, became even more resistant with an 80% rate in 2011, leading to its discontinuation from the treatment of falcons against aspergillosis. This study highlights a significant rise in antifungal resistance, which is a challenging problem in both falcon and human medicine.