{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T04:28:20Z","timestamp":1787027300582,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,5]],"date-time":"2026-03-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1772668800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      This study aimed to evaluate the mycological quality of soil and water from recreational lakes in the Mazandaran region, focusing on the diversity and abundance of\n                      <jats:italic>Aspergillus<\/jats:italic>\n                      species and their antifungal susceptibility profiles.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Sampling was conducted at 42 stations across 7 selected lakes in Mazandaran province during the bathing season (summer months of 2023). Three different types of samples, namely dry soil, sediment (sediment), and water were collected at each station in accordance with the standard operational procedure (SOP) established by the leaders of the Mycosands project. The isolated\n                      <jats:italic>Aspergilli<\/jats:italic>\n                      were identified using polymerase chain reaction\u2013restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Antifungal susceptibility testing was performed following the guidelines set by the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Of 713\n                      <jats:italic>Aspergillus<\/jats:italic>\n                      isolates, 353 (49.58%) were obtained from soil, 272 (35.8%) from sediment, and 87 (12.2%) from water samples. The\n                      <jats:italic>Aspergillus<\/jats:italic>\n                      section\n                      <jats:italic>Terrei<\/jats:italic>\n                      exhibited the highest abundance (\n                      <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f295, 41.37%), particularly in Elimalat (288\u202fCFU\/mg\/mL), which showed the most diverse range of species. Soil samples revealed\n                      <jats:italic>A.<\/jats:italic>\n                      sec.\n                      <jats:italic>Terrei<\/jats:italic>\n                      as the most prevalent (273\u202fCFU\/mg) whereas sediment and water samples showed lower loads of\n                      <jats:italic>Aspergilli,<\/jats:italic>\n                      with the section\n                      <jats:italic>Nigri<\/jats:italic>\n                      identified most frequently (176\u202fCFU\/mg and 105\u202fCFU\/mL, respectively). Elevated minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) against itraconazole and voriconazole were observed in 3.22 and 1% of isolates, respectively.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Summer conditions may have contributed to increased fungal contamination due to increased human activity and organic waste. Therefore, prioritizing microbial contamination control and improving hygienic awareness among visitors remain vital. However, seasonal sampling and section-level identification represent limitations that should be addressed in future studies.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1759055","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,5]],"date-time":"2026-03-05T06:54:44Z","timestamp":1772693684000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["A deep dive into the diversity of the Aspergillus community in the lakes of northern Iran"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Meysam","family":"Kor","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Student Research Committee, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences","place":["Sari, Iran"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohammad Taghi","family":"Hedayati","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Mycology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences","place":["Sari, Iran"]},{"name":"Invasive Fungi Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences","place":["Sari, Iran"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mahdi","family":"Abastabar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Mycology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences","place":["Sari, Iran"]},{"name":"Invasive Fungi Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences","place":["Sari, Iran"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Iman","family":"Haghani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Mycology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences","place":["Sari, Iran"]},{"name":"Invasive Fungi Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences","place":["Sari, Iran"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mojtaba","family":"Nabili","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Sar.C., Islamic Azad University","place":["Sari, Iran"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Abolfazl","family":"Saravani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Student Research Committee, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences","place":["Sari, Iran"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Javad","family":"Javidnia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Mycology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences","place":["Sari, Iran"]},{"name":"Invasive Fungi Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences","place":["Sari, Iran"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Joao","family":"Brand\u00e3o","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Sa\u00fade Ambiental, Instituto Nacional de Sa\u00fade Doutor Ricardo Jorge","place":["Lisbon, Portugal"]},{"name":"CE3C\u2013 Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ci\u00eancias da Universidade de Lisboa","place":["Lisbon, Portugal"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maryam","family":"Moazeni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Mycology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences","place":["Sari, Iran"]},{"name":"Invasive Fungi Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences","place":["Sari, Iran"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"161","DOI":"10.1007\/s40899-015-0014-7","article-title":"Water quality assessment of lake water: a review","volume":"2","author":"Bhateria","year":"2016","journal-title":"Sustain Water Resour Manag"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"546","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph14050546","article-title":"The occurrence and diversity of waterborne fungi in African aquatic systems: their impact on water quality and human health","volume":"14","author":"Magwaza","year":"2017","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1915","DOI":"10.1016\/j.watres.2007.02.010","article-title":"Prevalence of yeasts in beach sand at three bathing beaches in South Florida","volume":"41","author":"Vogel","year":"2007","journal-title":"Water 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