| Резюме: | <i>Aspergillus flavus</i> is one of the most important agents of invasive and non-invasive aspergillosis, especially in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, including Iran. <i>Aspergillus oryzae</i> is closely related to <i>A. flavus</i>, and it is known for its economic importance in traditional fermentation industries. Reports of infection due to <i>A. oryzae</i> are scarce. Several studies reported that differentiating these two species in clinical laboratories is not possible using MALDI-TOF or by targeting fungal barcode genes, such as Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) and β-tubulin (<i>benA</i>). The species-level identification of causative agents and the determination of antifungal susceptibility patterns can play significant roles in the outcome of aspergillosis. Here, we aimed to investigate the discriminatory potential of <i>cyp51A</i> PCR-sequencing versus that of the ITS, <i>benA</i> and calmodulin (<i>CaM</i>) genes for the differentiation of <i>A. flavus</i> from <i>A. oryzae</i>. In a prospective study investigating the molecular epidemiology of <i>A. flavus</i> in Iran between 2008 and 2018, out of 200 clinical isolates of <i>A. flavus</i>, 10 isolates showed >99% similarity to both <i>A. flavus</i> and <i>A. oryzae</i>. Overall, the ITS, β-tubulin and <i>CaM</i> genes did not fulfil the criteria for differentiating these 10 isolates. However, the <i>cyp51A</i> gene showed promising results, which warrants further studies using a larger set of isolates from more diverse epidemiological regions of the world.
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