does prolonged exposure of environmental fungi to ultraviolet irradiation change the pattern of drug resistance?

Background: the pathogenic and opportunistic fungal species cause life-threatening infections inimmunocom promised patients. the ultraviolet (uv) germicidal irradiation is a well-known method for inactivating a significant numberof microorganisms and has wide application for sterilization. objectives: this study aimed to investigate the effect of ultraviolet c (uv-c) irradiation on the antifungal susceptibility pattern of some filamentous fungi. methods: the effect of uv-c on the antifungal susceptibility pattern of itraconazole, voriconazole, fluconazole, and amphotericin b against filamentous fungi was examined. changes in the morphological features of resistant strains following uv-c irradiation were also evaluated using scanning electron microscopy. results: the results revealed a significant decrease in the number of the surviving spores of strains with the prolongation of uv-c irradiation (0 - 10 to 20 min; p < 0.05). concerning the morphology of resistant aspergillus spp., the results of scanning electron microscopy showed a significant increase in the length of irradiated hyphae compared to the non-irradiated hyphae (p < 0.05). in addition, colony count showed a significant decrease (p < 0.05). the findings revealed that uv-c radiation exposure could alter the antifungal susceptibility pattern of aspergillus spp., such as increasing the minimum inhibitory concentration. conclusions: aspergillus spp. can cause systemic infections among lab technicians exposed to different doses of radiation. moreover, this increase in susceptibility pattern can directly affect the duration of treatment.