<i>Fusarium</i> spp. in Human Disease: Exploring the Boundaries between Commensalism and Pathogenesis
Anca Cighir,
Anca Delia Mare,
Florina Vultur,
Teodora Cighir,
Suzana Doina Pop,
Karin Horvath,
Adrian Man
Affiliations
Anca Cighir
Department of Microbiology, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences and Technology of Târgu Mures, 38 Gheorghe Marinescu Street, 540139 Târgu Mures, Romania
Anca Delia Mare
Department of Microbiology, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences and Technology of Târgu Mures, 38 Gheorghe Marinescu Street, 540139 Târgu Mures, Romania
Florina Vultur
Department of Ophthalmology, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences and Technology of Târgu Mures, 38 Gheorghe Marinescu Street, 540139 Târgu Mures, Romania
Teodora Cighir
Department of Medical Laboratory, Mureș Clinical County Hospital, 1 Gheorghe Marinescu Street, 540103 Târgu Mures, Romania
Suzana Doina Pop
Department of Ophthalmology, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences and Technology of Târgu Mures, 38 Gheorghe Marinescu Street, 540139 Târgu Mures, Romania
Karin Horvath
Department of Ophthalmology, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences and Technology of Târgu Mures, 38 Gheorghe Marinescu Street, 540139 Târgu Mures, Romania
Adrian Man
Department of Microbiology, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences and Technology of Târgu Mures, 38 Gheorghe Marinescu Street, 540139 Târgu Mures, Romania
Fusarium is a large fungal genus that is widely distributed in the environment, mostly known for its plant pathogenicity. Rarely, it is involved in human pathology, where the type of infection caused is highly dependent upon the portal of entry and the immune status of the host. The study at hand aims to summarize routine methods used in diagnosing such infections as well as more advanced molecular diagnostic methods, techniques that can play a huge role in differentiating between colonization and infection when trying to decide the therapeutic outcome. Consequently, to further support our findings, two different strains (one isolated from corneal scrapings and one isolated from purulent discharge) were analyzed in a clinical context and thoroughly tested using classical and modern diagnostic methods: identification by macroscopical and microscopical examinations of the culture and mass spectrometry, completed by molecular methods such as PCR for trichothecene and ERIC-PCR for genetic fingerprinting. Isolation of a clinically relevant Fusarium spp. from a sample still remains a diagnostic challenge for both the clinician and the microbiologist, because differentiating between colonization and infection is very strenuous, but can make a difference in the treatment that is administered to the patient.
