ARS | Publication request: Proposal for a new ISHAM Working group on Clinical Fusarium

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: June 15, 2012
Publication Date: June 15, 2012
Citation: Van Diepeningen, A.D., Geiser, D.M., Guarro, J., Sutton, D.A., Pearlman, E., O Donnell, K., Harak, H., Summerell, B.A., Najafzadeh, M., Brandt, M.E., Hennequin, C., Tortorano, A.M., Schroers, H., Buot, G., De Hoog, G. 2012. Proposal for a new ISHAM Working group on Clinical Fusarium. Meeting Abstract.

Technical Abstract: Infections caused by Fusarium species can be classified in three classes: 1) Superficial infections of skin and nails; 2) Keratitis of the cornea; and 3) Deep and disseminated infections. Whereas the first two types of these opportunistic infections are generally seen in immunocompetent hosts, the deeper mycoses are mostly restricted to immunocompromised patients. Over the past three decades, clinical data suggest that the numbers of all types of infections caused by Fusarium species may be increasing. Most Fusarium species prove to be very resistant to the currently used antifungal drugs, although amphotericin B, posaconazole, and voriconazole show good activity against this genus. However, strains resistant to these compounds are regularly encountered, and combination therapy is frequently required. The prototype of Fusarium is a well recognizable fungus with clear banana-shaped macroconidia of variable sizes, the presence or absence of smaller microconidia of variable shape, and the presence or absence of chlamydospores. Some clinically relevant species may produce pigments (e.g., yellow-orange, red or violet) that are exuded into the medium. Fusarium comprises a complex cluster of different species and many species complexes, which can best be distinguished with the aid of DNA sequence data. Precise identification of species/multilocus haplotypes is important for diagnosis, treatment, and epidemiological purposes. Though roughly two-thirds of infections are caused by members of the Fusarium solani species complex, species within seven other species complexes have been reported to cause mycoses.Our aim is to study Fusarium infections both from the side of the infected host as well as from the pathogen side, to exchange knowledge and to provide tools and aids for rapid identification and treatment.