Phylogenetic Analysis of Clinically Relevant Fusarium Species in Iran Publisher Pubmed



Najafzadeh MJ^{1, 2} ; Dolatabadi S³ ; De Hoog S^{4, 5} ; Esfahani MK¹ ; Haghani I⁶ ; Aghili SR⁶ ; Ghazvini RD⁷ ; Rezaeimatehkolaei A^{8, 9} ; Abastabar M⁶ ; Alhatmi AMS^{4, 5, 10} Show Affiliations
Source: Mycopathologia Published:2020

Abstract

Fungi of the genus Fusarium are well known as major plant pathogens but also cause a broad spectrum of human infections. Sixty-three clinical isolates, collected during 2014–2017, were identified using a part of the TEF1 gene as barcoding marker. Fusarium fujikuroi species complex (FFSC, n = 41, 65%) showed to be the dominant etiological agent, followed by F. solani species complex (FSSC, n = 14, 22%) and F. oxysporum species complex (FOSC, n = 7, 11%). There was one strain belonging to F. lateritium species complex (FLSC, n = 1, 1.5%). For final identification, a phylogenetic tree was constructed including the type strains of each species complex. Most cases of fusariosis were due to nail infection (n = 38, 60.3%), followed by keratitis (n = 22, 34%). Fusarium infections are difficult to be treated due to their intrinsic resistance to different azoles; however, accurate and fast identification of etiological agents may enhance management of the infection. We present the first phylogenetic study on clinical Fusarium spp. from Iran. © 2020, Springer Nature B.V.