**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** FUNGICIDES ARE USED TO PREVENT FUNGAL DISEASES IN CROPS AND ANTIFUNGAL DRUGS ARE USED TO TREAT FUNGAL INFECTIONS IN HUMANS. FUNGICIDES AND ANTIFUNGAL DRUGS KILL OR STOP THE GROWTH OF FUNGI, BUT LIKE BACTERIA, FUNGI CAN DEVELOP RESISTANCE TO THE FUNGICIDE OR ANTIFUNGAL DRUG. RESISTANCE OCCURS WHEN THE FUNGI ARE NO LONGER KILLED BY THE FUNGICIDE OR ANTIFUNGAL DRUG. WHILE THERE ARE MANY FUNGICIDES AVAILABLE TO PREVENT FUNGAL PLANT DISEASES, THERE ARE ONLY THREE ANTIFUNGAL DRUGS AVAILABLE TO CONTROL HUMAN FUNGAL INFECTIONS. THEREFORE, ANTIFUNGAL RESISTANCE CAN SEVERELY LIMIT THE TREATMENT OF INVASIVE AND LIFE-THREATENING FUNGAL INFECTIONS. SOME OF THE FUNGICIDES USED TO CONTROL PLANT DISEASE ARE SIMILAR IN STRUCTURE TO ANTIFUNGAL DRUGS AND FUNGI CAN DEVELOP RESISTANCE TO BOTH. THIS IS REFERRED TO AS CROSS-RESISTANCE.ASPERGILLUS FUMIGATUS (A. FUMIGATUS) IS A COMMON FUNGUS IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE LEADING CAUSE OF AN INVASIVE FUNGAL INFECTION CALLED ASPERGILLOSIS. TRIAZOLES (OR AZOLES) ARE THE PRIMARY TREATMENT FOR ASPERGILLOSIS AND ARE ALSO USED INTENSIVELY TO CONTROL DISEASES ON CERTAIN FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CROPS. USE OF AZOLES IN THE PRODUCTION OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CROPS TO PREVENT PLANT DISEASES HAS BEEN LINKED TO RESISTANCE IN PATIENTS WITH ASPERGILLOSIS. HOWEVER, THE ROLE OF FUNGICIDE USES IN OTHER AGRICULTURAL CROPS SUCH AS CORN AND SOYBEAN, NON-FOOD CROPS SUCH AS TURF, HEMP, AND HOPS, AND INDUSTRIAL PROCESSES LIKE WOOD PRESERVATION HAVE NOT BEEN INVESTIGATED. IN ADDITION, THE WAYS IN WHICH A. FUMIGATUS EVOLVES (I.E., GENETIC BASIS OF RESISTANCE) IN THESE ENVIRONMENTS TO BECOME RESISTANT TO AZOLES ARE STILL NOT FULLY UNDERSTOOD. ENSURING APPROPRIATE USE OF AZOLES IN HUMAN MEDICINE, AGRICULTURE AND INDUSTRY WILL BE ESSENTIAL TO PREVENTING RESISTANCE AND THE SPREAD OF RESISTANT A. FUMIGATUS. THE GOAL OF OUR RESEARCH IS TO TRACK DOWN THE ENVIRONMENTAL SOURCES OF AZOLE RESISTANT A. FUMIGATUS AND DETERMINE HOW THE FUNGUS IS DEVELOPING RESISTANCE SO THAT WE CAN ENHANCE PLANT AND HUMAN HEALTH THROUGH THE PREVENTION OR SLOWING OF ANTIFUNGAL RESISTANCE. WE WILL SURVEY AGRICULTURAL, URBAN, AND INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENTS WHERE AZOLE ANTIFUNGAL PRODUCTS ARE USED AS WELL AS NATURALIZED AREAS WHERE THEY ARE NOT, TO DETERMINE THE FREQUENCY OF, DISTRIBUTION AND, GENETIC BASIS OF RESISTANCE OF AZOLE-RESISTANT A. FUMIGATUS. SECOND, WE WILL CONDUCT FIELD TRIALS TO DETERMINE IF AZOLE FUNGICIDES FOR FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PROTECTION EXERT SELECTION PRESSURE FOR AZOLE RESISTANCE IN A. FUMIGATUS IN THE PRODUCTION SYSTEM. FINALLY, WE WILL TRANSLATE EXISTING AND NOVEL DATA FROM THIS PROJECT INTO USEFUL AND ACTIONABLE RECOMMENDATIONS AND DISSEMINATE THE INFORMATION THROUGH A PUBLICALLY AVAILABLE KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE.